A World On Fire
by JustYourAverageJackSparrow
Summary: Sequel to 'Lost Within The Walls'. Genevieve and the boys have escaped The Maze. But, what awaits them outside of those walls? Will bonds and friendships break under the pressure? And how will Gen cope with being reunited with someone from her past? Set within the 'Scorch Trials'
1. Life Outiside The Walls

Gen woke to the sound of Winston screaming. She had gotten at least an hour of sleep... if she was lucky; the voice she had heard in the night had terrified her. She had never heard the boy- Nikola's voice before and it was something not even Gen could imagine. If it weren't for the fact that Thomas and Teresa were able to talk to each other telepathically, she more than likely would have thought she was going insane Jumping out of the bed, Gen looked around at the Gladers that all shifted around in a panicked manner, all pointing to windows, their faces pale with fear. As she rubbed her eyes, she caught sight of Minho and Newt who both ran towards the door and followed them, her eyes set onto Winston stood, his face pale with fear. As Gen started to look around the chaotic room, she listened to the unfamiliar sound that echoed around them: screams of what sounded like tortured animals. She hadn't heard anything like it. As the three of them were joined by Thomas, Gen set her eyes onto the window that Frypan was pointing to and she felt her stomach turn. In the window, was a bloodied man, gripping at the bars that covered the windows. He wore a look of madness and tried to pull at the bars, screaming the same words over and over that chilled Gen to the core,

"Kill me! Kill me! Kill Me!" The words echoed through her head, causing her to cover her ears. Looking around, she found that they were at every window, all staring in and all begging for death. Gen tried her best to block out the sounds that escaped the cracked lips of the people that called themselves 'Cranks', but the longer they were ignored, the louder they cried.

"I wish those shuck... Cranks would shut up!" Minho screamed, spinning around, his eyes locked onto a woman who was far uglier than the first man they had seen. As Gen brought her hands down from her ears, she pushed past the trio of boys and took a hold of the handle that was locked.

"Shuck it." Gen cried, kicking the door as she tried to shake the handle. Feeling Newt place a hand on her shoulder, she stopped, snapping her head around to look at him, "What?" She snapped,

"Shaking the door isn't gonna open it." He snapped, "Now will someone find me something to break through this stupid door." He cried, looking around at the boys who started looking around for something, minus Thomas and Minho who both stared at Newt.

"What are those things and why are they here?" Gen asked. Minho shrugged his shoulders,

"They're callin' themselves Cranks, so... guess that's what they are." He smirked. Gen had have the mind to punch him, but resisted the urge.

"Thanks Minho." She replied, rolling her eye. Minho shot her a grin, reaching his hand out to grab hers and pull her towards him,

"Always happy to help." he teased, bringing his face down towards hers. Before Minho was able to kiss her, he was interrupted by Newt,

"Seriously? You will have plenty of bloody time for that later!" He snapped, shooting Minho a glare. Minho was about to open his mouth to speak before he was cut off by a short boy who moved towards Newt holding a fire extinguisher by the looks of it.

"Here." The boy murmured, handing the red cylinder to Newt who, without a word, started to slam it against the handle of the door. With a loud thud, the handle snapped off and the door creaked open, showing nothing but darkness. As the crowd of Gladers all exchanged looks, Minho was the one who spoke up, slipping his fingers in between Gen's

"Shuck it, Gen and I'll go first." He said, causing Gen's eyes to widen,

"What?"

"Don't worry. I'll protect you." Minho smirked, brushing his thumb along hers. Gen rolled her eyes but gave a reluctant nod,

"Lead on then." As Minho lead them through the door, they were both almost immediately engulfed inside of the darkness. There was no light to guide them and Gen was rather glade that she had Minho to hold her hand. As she followed him further into the darkness, she jumped as he gave out a small yelp.

"What is it?" Gen asked, pulling herself towards him and wrapping her free hand around his arm,

"I dunno. Think there's something... weird hanging from the roof." He said. Gen looked up, before realizing just how stupid that decision was. Hearing another crashed, she snapped her head around to look to the direction it came from.

"Tables." Newt's voice greeted them all within the darkness, "Look out for tables."

"Where the hell are the damned lights?" Gen asked, snapping her head around in confusion as she clung onto Minho.

"That's where I'm headed." Newt's voice came back, "Pretty sure I saw a set of them over here." Feeling Minho tug her along once more, Gen felt her heart start to pound.

"Where are we-" Before she could finish the question. Minho gave out a disgusted cry, pushing the pair of them back, "What the hell happened?" Gen questioned,

"I stood on something..." Minho replied, "No more moving for us." He grumbled, stopping dead in his tracks and instead pulling Gen into a tight hug. Staying as still as possible, Gen placed her head against Minho's head, listening only to his steady heartbeat. Listening as a few Newt switched on the lights, Gen temporarily closed her eyes, protecting herself from the sudden light that near blinded her. Not opening her eyes, she felt Minho's grip tighten on her and his heartbeat quicken as he shuffled them along back the way they came, "Gen. Whatever you do, don't open your eyes." Gen didn't say anything, but she did as she was told. Whatever it was the lights had revealed to the Gladers, it had most of them throwing up and gagging by what Gen could hear and even caused Minho's heartbeat to quicken.

"Minho, what's going on?" Gen asked, clinging onto Minho who stopped.

"Gen, he's right. You don't wanna bloody see this." Newt muttered. As soon as Gen heard Minho swear under his breath, she did the very thing she was told not to and opened her eyes. As soon as she set her gaze onto the horrid sight before her, she wished she had listened and kept her eyes shut. Pulling away from Minho, Gen stared in horror at the bodies that hung from the ceiling, all purple and bloated. Averting her eyes from the corpses, Gen took a breath, she recognized them. She actually recognized them. They were the men who had rescued them from W.I.C.K.E.D.

**A/N: First chapter is up! I will be taking a break for a little bit, but I hope you all enjoyed this :) (Benjamin's name has been changed to Nikola, after Nikola Tesla. My bad, forgot about Ben. Sorry) **


	2. The Search

Taking a step towards the dangling corpses, Gen locked her eyes onto Josie's once perfect face, now no more than a swelled up, purple blob that looked as though the single touch would cause it to explode.

"I don't understand." Gen mumbled, looking around at the other faces around her. They had all been hung, whether or not they had done it themselves or not hadn't crossed her mind as she tried so desperately to block out the sounds of the other Gladers throwing up.

"Tommy? What's wrong?" Newt asked. Gen forced herself to look away from the corpses and instead set her eyes onto Thomas, who stood upright,

"What..." He began, swallowing hard, "What do you think? Look around us." He snapped, still not allowing his eyes to meet the bodies that hung around them. Newt lowered his gaze, biting his lip before he took a breath,

"Yeah, but you looked like you were in pain or something." He said. Thomas' brow furrowed,

"I'm fine." He answered, "Just tying to reach her in my mind... But I can't." Gen sighed, she had completely forgotten about Thomas and Teresa's ability to communicate within their minds. She remembered back in the Glade when Teresa first told her about it. She was under the impression that she was able to communicate with Newt. Looking to the blonde boy, she examined her face. In many ways, she wish she could. "We've gotta find her." Thomas finished, looking around at Newt, Gen and then finally Minho who nodded,

"He's right." Minho said before he spun to address the gagging crowd, "We gotta find Teresa, shanks!" He called, causing the sickly boys to all groan, "Quit whining and look!" Minho snapped, causing them all to very slowly move in different directions before he turned back to the other three that watched him.

"Nice one, Captain Minho." Gen smirked.

"Think I like the sound of that." He replied with a grin, placing his hands on his hips as he turned towards Thomas and Newt, "So... spilt up?" He suggested. Thomas nodded,

"Sure. Newt and I'll take this side. You and Gen take that side." Thomas murmured. Gen and Minho both nodded, before the pair exchanged looks and moved off into the direction Thomas had directed them to move towards.

"Well, I don't see any doors... do you?" Gen asked, looking around the room. Minho shrugged his shoulders,

"Nope." As they moved towards the door they had entered the building through, Minho tried to push it open, "What the...? The shucking things been locked from the outside." He grumbled, trying to shake the handle that did nothing but create a loud rattling noise that drew the attention of most of the Glader's,

"Okay. That's enough. You've proven your point." She muttered, grabbing onto Minho and pulling him away from the door, "Stop." She hissed, moving in between him and the door,

"Why the hell is the door locked?" Minho hissed,

"Well, If I knew the answer to that, I'd tell you." She mocked, grabbing onto his arm and pulling him away, "We have to find Teresa." She said.

"Thomas and Newt will find her. We're just wasting time." Minho said,

"We're not wasting time, you shuck. We're looking for Teresa." Gen replied. Minho raised both of his eyebrows before he pulled Gen back into the boy's dorm.

"Now are we still looking for Teresa?" He asked, "There aren't any more doors in this place. If anyone is gonna find her, it's gonna be Newt and Thomas." Gen gave a short nod before she moved towards her and Newt's bunk and sat down, staring at the wall ahead of her. The fuss with Teresa and Thomas had reminded her of the voice she had heard... She had no idea who Nikola was... just that his name sounded stupid. But, he mentioned Peter... Peter who she had seen back at W.I.C.K.E.D... he was dead...

"Hey. Girly. Earth to Girly." Blinking, Gen found Minho to be snapping his fingers in front of her face.

"What?" She snapped at him, looking up. He seemed to be taken back at the fact that she had just snapped at him.

"What's up?" He asked, sitting down beside her. Gen looked away from him,  
"I'm fine-"

"-Don't give me that klunk." Minho snapped, causing her to look at him. "I'm not an idiot. I know when you're not okay. I might not be as good at listening as Newt. But... look around, I'm the only one in here, so spill." Gen shrugged, turning her gaze away from him,

"Chuck's dead." She answered, "He's dead and I can't do anything about it." The words felt like a series of daggers that ripped her throat apart as she spoke. "Dammit, Minho. He wasn't supposed to die. Not like that." Before the tears could spill from her eyes, Minho wrapped an arm around her and pulled her towards him,

"What can I do?" He asked.

"Nothing, you can do. I just have to deal with it." Gen replied. Closing her eyes momentarily, Gen took a calming breath, she was certain that she wouldn't ever get over the people she had lost inside of the Glade. But, pretending the pain didn't exist seemed like a better plan than anything else she could think of. Lifting her head to look at Minho, her expression softened, "Minho... if I tell you something. Will you promise not to tell anyone?" She asked. Minho raised both of his eyebrows and wore a smug expression,

"Who am I gonna tell?" He asked,

"Newt and Thomas?" She replied. Minho laughed,

"Yeah, I'm really gonna betray my girlfriend's trust. That's brilliant, Gen." Gen smiled softly, lowering her eyes from his. That was the first time Minho had referred to her as his 'girlfriend'. Leaning forward, she kissed him gently,

"Good that." She breathed against his lips before she pulled back away from him, "So.. that thing..." She began, "You know how Teresa and Thomas can talk to each other... in their heads?" Minho nodded,

"Yeah, he's a freak. Got it." He grinned, clearly pleased with his level of wit. Gen averted her eyes from his,

"I heard a voice... It was a guy named Nikola." She said, "I heard him clear as day, Minho. So, either I'm a freak like Thomas or I've finally lost my shucking mind." Minho didn't speak, he simply stared at her, trying to comprehend what she had told him,

"So... you know who this Nikola shank is?" He asked. Gen shook her head. On the upside, Minho seemed to believe her. "You tried talking back to him?" Gen shook her head once again. She had considered it, but the boy had mentioned Peter and anything to do with that man she kept far away from.

"No. I don't trust him. I haven't heard him since either." She explained, "I'm just... gonna pretend it didn't happened. I just wanted one person to know is all." She said lightly.

"What kind of name is Nikola anyway?" Minho asked, raising his eyebrow. Gen smiled,

"What kind of name is Minho?" She asked in response. Minho opened his mouth to speak but was cut off as Winston entered the room,

"Hey, Minho. Gen."

"Did they find Teresa?" Gen asked, rising to her feet. Winston shook his head,

"Nah, some other kid who claims he's from another Maze."

"That's not possible." Minho snapped, rising to his feet and moving towards Winston,

"Apparently it is. He was talking to Thomas and Newt... He's got pretty much the same story as Teresa. Apparently this Maze was filled with a whole heap of chicks too." He said with a grin. Minho didn't share his interest, instead, his brow furrowed and as he pushed past Winston, Gen was quick to run after him.

"Minho!" He didn't respond and as they reached the crowd of boys, Minho pushed his way to the front, Gen close at his heels. As soon as the pair reached the room, Thomas, Newt and a strange boy neither of them had seen before looked at them. The boy had olive skin and dark hair that was cut short, upon seeing Minho, the boy wore a fearful look in his blue eyes.

"Gen... Minho, meet Aris." Thomas said, looking between them, "Aris, meet Gen and Minho."

**A/N: That wasn't really a break but, oh well. **


	3. Like a Tattoo, I'll always have you

Gen was just as shocked as the Glader's around her that all listened to Aris who had told them about the second group made entirely of girls and also, the most shocking thing, he was able to talk with Thomas in his head. Teresa was nowhere to be found and when she had asked Newt about her, Newt had replied saying that she was just gone and that Aris seemed to have taken her place. Newt had also told her about the sign outside of her door that read 'Teresa Agnes: Group A Subject A1. The Betrayer.' Thomas had been through the entire room himself. There was nowhere else to look for Teresa. She was just gone. As the conversation and the explanations from the boy continued, there were a number of times when Gen was convinced Minho was going to attack the boy. Judging by the look in his eye, Aris was terrified of Minho and rightfully so.

"Look," Aris said, "I'm just as confused as everyone else. About thirty of us survived, they took us to that gym, fed us, cleaned us up. Then they brought me to this place last night, saying I should be separated since I'm the only guy. That's it. Then you sticks showed up." There was a moment of silence as Gen, Newt, Minho and Thomas all exchanged looks,

"Sticks?" Minho repeated with a scoff. Aris shook his head,

"Never mind, I don't even know what it means. Just a word they used when I got there." He explained. Gen tried her best to stifle a laugh.

"We use 'Shank'" She told the boy who turned his gaze to her,

"Why are you here?" He asked. Just as Minho spun on his heel to abuse the poor boy, he quickly moved back, "No, no. I mean, since you're a girl. I swear, that's what I meant." He rushed, his eyes locked onto Minho who didn't stop glaring at Aris until Newt and Thomas both placed a hand on his shoulder, "I just figured, seeing as how they moved me, they would've moved you." Looking around, he then turned his gaze back to Thomas,

"Have you seen another guy around here?" He asked. Thomas and Newt exchanged looked before they shook their heads,

"No. Just you." They answered. Aris' brow furrowed as he looked around him,

"There's another guy in Group B with me." He said, "His name's Nikola... But, we just call him Nik."

"You've gotta be freaking kidding me." Minho groaned, looking to Gen who stood frozen, her eyes fixated onto Aris,

"Nik and Gen." Newt smirked, looking to Gen who forced a small smile, "Looks like we have boy Teresa and boy Gen." He said. Aris kept his gaze locked onto Gen,

"Hey." A Glader called out, "What's that on the side of your neck? Something black, right below your collar." Aris attempted to see what it was the Glader was talking about, causing Gen to wince as he tried to bend his neck in a way it wasn't supposed to.

"Here, let me look." Newt offered, moving towards the boy. Gen couldn't help but allow her eyes to lower towards his limp... it seemed worse than ever. As Newt pulled Aris' collar down, he squinted,

"Looks like a tattoo." He said.

"Well..." Gen began, her eyes flicking back up to Newt's face, "What's it say?"

"Property of WICKED. Group B, Subject B1. The Partner" Newt read out loud to the crowd.

"I swear that wasn't there last night." Aris rushed, pulling away from Newt, who repeated the words to himself.

"Property of WICKED?" He mumbled, his brow furrowed a clear look of frustration on his face, "I thought we'd escaped them. Or you'd escaped them too. Whatever." Turning away from Aris, Newt moved away and went back to sit on the bed. Gen couldn't help but frown at him and as the pair locked eyes, she raised her eyebrow in question causing him to look away from her completely.

"Well... why does it call you the _Partner?_" Minho asked, causing Gen to turn her attention back to he and Aris.

"I don't have a clue. I swear. And there's no way that it was there last night. I showered, looked in the mirror. I would've seen it. And someone would have noticed it back in the Maze for sure." He said.

"You're telling me they tattooed you in the middle of the night?" Minho asked, with a slight growl, "Without you noticing? Come on, dude." He hissed,

"Minho, back off." Gen snapped, her arms crossed her her chest as Minho looked over his shoulder at her,

"I don't believe a shuck word he has to say." He muttered,

"He's not lying. Trust me." She told him, before her gaze shifted toward Aris who watched Minho uneasily.

"Whoa." Thomas said, cutting off Minho before he could argue.

"What?" Both he and Gen snapped, looking towards Thomas like he was completely insane.

"Your- You neck." Thomas stammered. Before he could speak once more, Gen raced forward, pulling down his shirt. As Thomas had began to say, Minho had a tattoo similar to the one that was on Aris' neck.

"Whoa, Gen. Not in front of everyone." Minho teased.

"Shut up, shuck." Gen muttered, "You've got a tattoo too."

"Liar." Minho snapped back in reply. There was a slight pause before he spoke once more, "What's it say?"

"Property of WICKED, Group A. Subject A7. The Leader." She read out. "I think they made a mistake." She added, causing Minho to give out a fake laugh,

"Oh funny. Let's see what yours has to say." He smirked, pushing her hair out of the way and pulling her collar down.

"What the hell's a Phoenix?" Minho asked, looking around to Thomas and Newt who both gathered to look at her tattoo,

"It's the same name that was on the screen back at WICKED's headquarters." Newt muttered.

"That still doesn't tell me what a Phoenix is." Minho said.

"It's a mythical bird that dies and then is reborn again from the ashes." She explained. Earning a weird look from the boys around her, she shrugged. "You asked. I answered. Don't question it."

"So... you're gonna die and then be reborn again?" Thomas asked.

"I said don't question it, Thomas." She said, "Just like I won't question why on earth they put Minho down as the leader." She mocked, causing Minho to grin,

"You're just jealous." He said. As the room erupted into chaos, Minho and Gen quickly moved and pressed their backs against the wall as the boys ran towards each other, reading each others tattoos

"Well, this is just great." Gen muttered from where she stood beside Minho. "Now we've been branded."

"What's Newt's and Thomas' say?" He asked. Shrugging her shoulder, she moved towards Newt who was looking at Thomas' tattoo. As the pair of them moved apart, they looked towards her,

"Hey. What's your tattoo say?" She asked. Newt and Thomas exchanged looks before Newt smiled,

"Mine says 'The Glue'. After reading the letter back in the Glade, I'm not surprised." He said. Glancing at Thomas who looked confused, Newt shrugged, "You're not gonna understand, Tommy. It's okay. Can I have a chat with Gen?" He asked. Thomas gave a nod, moving towards Aris, who stood by himself. Gen shrugged,

"I didn't know the letter was about us." She said.

"It said you had to choose between Minho and I." He said lightly, avoiding eye-contact with her. "Why would it say something like that?"

"I don't know." Gen replied, "I was just as confused as you were. Plus, pretty sure it was from Peter so... who cares? The guy is nuts. Trust me, I've had to deal with him plenty of times inside of my shucking dreams." Newt said nothing, instead he took a step towards her,

"I have something to tell you... I-" As soon as the words escaped his lips, he was cut off by a loud alarm. One that they had all heard before. It was the Newbie alarm.


	4. Change

Rushing towards the door, Gen watched as Thomas tried to slam his shoulder against the door. It didn't open.

"You broke the shucking handle." Frypan screamed, his eyes locked where the handle of the door used to be. Once again, they were trapped and once again, the room erupted into complete chaos that made Gen roll her eyes and move to stand beside Thomas who was just as fed up with it all as she was.

"What now?" She hissed, "A new Greenie?" Thomas shrugged his shoulders,

"Right now. I wouldn't be surprised." He replied, "I'm trying to contact Teresa... but, she's not replying." He added softly, his eyes fixated onto Minho and Aris who reappeared from the bathrooms, both rubbing the back of their necks as they searched for a solution. Eventually, the room calmed and the Gladers simply sat carelessly around on the beds, waiting for the alarm to stop. Once it did, Gen and Thomas were approached by Newt,

"Don't tell me we're gonna get bloody Newbies thrown into our laps."

"Where's the box in this shuck place?" Minho muttered sarcastically. There was another eerie silence that fell over the scared Gladers before a creak echoed around them, causing each of them to turn to look at the door that had swung open a few inches, a slice of darkness marking where it stood ajar.

"Who the hell turned the lights out?" Gen snapped.

"Guess they want us to go back out there." Minho said, looking at her,

"Then why don't you go first?" Frypan suggested. Gen shot him a foul look but Minho had already started to move,

"No problem. Maybe we'll have a new shank to pick on and kick in the butt when we've got nothing else to do." He smirked, before his tone softened "We could use another Chuck." As the words reached her ears, Gen averted her eyes from Minho was had looked at her when he spoke. She didn't need to think about Chuck. Looking to Thomas, she noticed that he had also put his head down. He blamed himself for Chuck's death, a feeling that both Minho and Gen were familiar with. Breaking the silence the sly smile returned to Minho's face, as if he had never made the comment about Chuck. But, Gen knew why he had said it. In his own little way, despite how much Minho claimed Chuck annoyed him, he missed him too. "C'mon, Gen. Let's go." He said, holding his hand out towards Gen who lifted her head up to look at him,

"What? I'm not going out there again. Not with the bodies." Minho sighed,

"Do I have to order you?" He asked.

"Minho. Just go. You'll have enough time for flirting later." Winston snapped, causing Minho to chuckle and move through the door, almost immediately being swallowed by the darkness. "You lot stay there." He called back at them as Gen and Thomas moved closer towards the door, "If some zombie starts eating my leg, you lot better save me." He called after them,

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. We'll send Winston in." Gen called back,

"That's _so _reassuring." Minho mocked, causing Winston to scoff. "You lot just wait there then. No need to play bumper cars with the dead folks again. Let me find the light switches first."

"Why would they have turned them off?" Thomas called out to him, both he and Gen trying to catch a glimpse of him in the darkness, "I mean, _who _turned them off?" As Minho's face appeared in the doorway once more, Thomas and Gen jumped back, causing Minho to snigger,

"Why do you bother even asking questions, dude? Nothing has ever made sense and it probably never will. Now slim it, sit still and stop talking. That's an order." He added with a sly smile. Disappearing into the darkness once again and Gen listened to the sound of his footsteps, if he made so much as a single sound that suggested he was in trouble, she was going to run after him. Gen wasn't going to lose another person. She wasn't. "Here they are!" Minho shouted. Just as Newt did before, a few clicks were heard and once again Gen was blinded by the bright light that greeted them. But, something was wrong. The smell of rotting bodies had disappeared and as her eyes adjusted to the light, she worked out why. The bodies had disappeared completely. As she tried to move backwards, Gen hit Newt who quickly wrapped his arms around her. The bodies were just... _Gone. _There was no way that they could be gone. Someone would have heard people moving them away and they weren't in the room long enough for the bodies and the _smell _to disappear.

"Newt?" As he quickly let go of her, Gen turned around to face him, "Sorry for running into you." She mumbled, before she turned her gaze back to where Minho was standing in the centre of the room,

"The Cranks are gone too." He called. Moving towards Minho, Gen followed Thomas, her eyes locked onto the window which once had an image of an insane man, screaming the same words over and over 'Kill Me.' "Whoa." Minho said, moving up behind Gen. Instead of the outside world, a red brick wall had been placed _outside _of the bars. Slipping her hand through the bars, Gen pressed her hand against the bricks. They were solid and looked as though they had been in place for years.

As they group moved around the room, they noticed that everything had seemed to change, the beds, the drawers, the clothes. Even their old clothes had disappeared.

"Hey, check this out." Minho called from where he stood in front of the room that was supposed to hold Teresa. As Gen moved up beside him, her eyes read the sign above the door over and over and as the others gathered around them, it was Newt who read the words:

_Aris Jones. Group B, Subject B1_

_The Partner. _

"What the hell is going on?" Gen stammered, glancing to Minho who shrugged,

"I don't know."

"I thought you were the leader." She smirked. Minho raised an eyebrow,

"I can't tell if you're just being sarcastic or if you're trying to flirt with me." He said.

"You know, Nik's in a relationship with one of the leader's too." Aris spoke up, glancing at Gen and Minho who both stared at him, "Oh. I just thought it was a coincidence." Looking back at each other, the pair fell silent, simply staring at the plaque. As the minutes passed, the only sound that came from the Glader's was from Thomas who huffed before he turned on his heel and strode towards the Boy's Dorm.

"Just leave him be." Newt said seriously, looking around at the Glader's that stared after him.

"So, Aris is officially with us then?" Minho asked, looking across at Aris who avoided eyecontact with him completely,

"Not by choice." Aris replied softly,

"Okay, that's enough." Gen interrupted the boys who were moments away from an argument. Looking over her shoulder at Newt, she nodded at him,"A word?" Newt gave a stiff nod before he turned on his heel. Glancing once more at Minho, she moved after the blonde who moved towards the Boy's Dorm and stopped just in front of the doorway. Looking in through the door, Newt paused before he looked over his shoulder at Gen and gestured for her to follow him. Looking towards Thomas, Gen was surprised to find that he was already asleep. As the pair moved to the far end of the dorm, Newt turned back to face her and crossed his arms over his chest,

"What's up?"

"You were going to tell me something, remember?" There was a slight pause before Newt cleared his throat,

"Oh... right. Yeah." He nodded, "I think... maybe now is not the right bloody time." He said with a simple shrug of his shoulders. Gen rolled her eyes,

"Way to freak me out." She mumbled. Newt raised his eyebrows,

"Why? What did you think I was gonna tell you?"

"I dunno. That the world was coming to an end? That we were all going to die?" She shrugged before smiling, "I'm joking. C'mon. Let's go see what's going on, huh?" Newt and Gen were still, simply watching each other before Newt nodded and moved towards the exit. As they moved closer to the door, Gen could hear the faint sound of Thomas snoring.

"Hey Newt." Clint greeted, stepping in front of the door. "Hey Gen." The pair of them both nodded at Clint who, before they could speak, opened his mouth, "Gen, I think we need to talk." He said. Clint's eyes widened and as soon as he saw the look of fear on her face, he quickly spoke again, "It's nothing bad. I just thought I would check your arm and stuff" Feeling relief wash over her, she smiled softly,

"Okay. I'll be out here." Newt grumbled before he moved from the room without another word.


	5. The Best Apple Ever

Gen was silent as Clint started to unwrap the bandage that was around her arm. She had the strangest feeling that Minho had put him up to something. The entire time they had sat together, Clint would ask small questions about Minho and how she felt about him. Her feelings hadn't changed... just the situation. In an attempt at making small talk, Gen cleared her throat.

"How's everything out there?" Gen asked, nodding towards the door. Clint didn't look at her, his focus was kept entirely onto her arm and the bandage,

"Minho and Newt are keeping things under control." He said, "They're hungry and scared. Makes sense when you think about it." He said,

"Anything weird happen yet?"

"Not yet." Clint smirked, flicking his eyes up to meet hers before they flicked back down to her arm. Pulling the bandage off completely, Clint tilted his head, "I think it's healing nicely." He said. As Gen looked down at the cut for herself, she shrugged,

"Well... that only looks completely disgusting." Gen joked, pulling her arm back and examining it once more. It was scabbed and red, but healing at least.

"Could be worse." Clint shrugged as he stood to move back out through the door, "Gen, are you okay? You know you can tell me anything, right?" Gen was silent, her eyes locked onto Clint before she smiled,

"I know... Did... Did Minho put you up to this?" She asked lightly. Clint paused,

"No." He answered. Gen smirked, taking a step towards him,

"Lying to me isn't a good idea." She said lightly. Clint swallowed,

"Yeah... he did. Because he's worried about you." He said. Gen scoffed,

"Minho doesn't get worried."

"You obviously don't know him as well as you think if you think that." Clint's said. Putting her head down, she kept her gaze locked onto her shoes,

"You're right and I'm fine." She said, her tone suggesting that it was time for him to leave. Clint stared at her for a moment longer before he moved out of the door. Sitting down onto the bed, Gen stared at the wall. She knew Minho was capable of concern. He was just incapable of expressing it. Hence why he sent Clint to help Gen. She was fine. She was absolutely as fine as it was possible to be fine in the situation they were in. Blinking, her brow furrowed, she was lying to herself. In truth, _none _of them were fine. Not Thomas. Not Newt. Not her. In some ways, she was certain not even Minho was fine, despite the facade he hid behind. But, she wasn't sure whether he was just cold, or stronger than them all. Placing her hands on her head, she took a breath, trying to remind herself that the Maze was far worse. That things were getting better. Even if she couldn't see it.

"Gen, why'd you send Clint away?" Minho's voice came in a whisper, trying his hardest not to wake Thomas, "I sent him to help you."

"With what exactly?" Gen asked. Minho shrugged,

"With the Chuck stuff."

"What about Thomas? What about Newt? What about everyone else?" She asked. "Trust me. I'm fine. I'm going to be fine." She assured him.

"I don't believe you." Minho replied, his brow furrowed as he moved towards her.

"Fine." Gen answered, "I'm not okay. I'm scared." She said, "I'm scared, Minho. Is that what you wanna hear? Look, I sent Clint away because it should be _you _comforting me. Not Newt. Not Thomas. Not Clint. You." She told him. Minho's brow furrowed,

"How do I do that?" He asked. Gen smiled, moving towards him,

"Just stand there and be you." She smiled. "You don't have to do anything. Just, don't go anywhere." She smirked. Minho chuckled,

"Where would I go, we're locked in here." He smirked. Gen nodded, cupping his face and quickly pecking his lips.

"Me and you against the world, huh?" She smirked, "You, me, Thomas and Newt." Gen faked a smile, she was going to pretend everything was going to be okay, even if it were a lie. It was what Minho wanted and she was willing to give it to him. Moving forward, Gen once again pressed her lips against his and as she made contact with him she quickly pulled back. She caught a glimpse of something when she closed her eyes...

"_Newt, where are you going?" Gen called after blonde who moved away from her,_

"_Back to my cell before someone finds me." He replied, looking over his shoulder at her as he reached the door to the cell that was supposed to have been locked in order to separate them._

"_No, stay with me." She called, wrapping her arms around Newt's neck and flashing him a sly smile, "I know you want to."_

"_Mm." He replied with a nod, leaning forward and kissing Gen who grinned behind the kiss, biting down lightly on his bottom lip. _

"_Stay." She breathed against his lips as her eyes fluttered open. Newt parted his lips,_

"_I have to go." He mumbled, "They're sending me to the Maze tomorrow." He said. Gen nodded,_

"_I know."_

"_You'll find me again though. I'll stay alive just for bloody you."_

"_But, you won't remember me." Gen replied. Newt smiled, pecking her on the lips,_

"_Doesn't matter. I know I love you. I know you love me. That's gotta count for something, huh?"_

"_Yeah." Gen replied, watching as Newt pulled away from her and slipped out through the door..._

"Hey!" Minho called. Gen shook her head, her eyes setting onto Minho who was snapping his fingers in front of her face. "What's wrong with you?" He asked, "You had a total blank moment." Gen shook her head. Had she remembered something from her past? Why of all times did she remember her past now? She wasn't asleep, nor was she going through the Changing.

"Yeah, just.. thought of something." She said, rubbing her temples with both of her index fingers,

"Yeah?" Looking up at him, Gen smiled.

"I love you. You know that right?" She asked. Minho raised an eyebrow, but nodded,

"Yeah, you've told me before." He smirked, "I said it back if you remember. Look, I'm gonna do it again: I love you too, shuck-face." Gen nodded, it felt right. It felt right to tell him that she loved him. Because she did. Why she was having flashbacks of her and Newt made no sense and was just one of Peter's tricks to mess with her head.

"I'm not a Shuck-Face, you're a Shuck-Face." She grumbled. Minho shrugged his shoulders,

"Guess we're both Shuck-Faces." Gen laughed, before covering her mouth and looking to where Thomas was still asleep, "If you wake him up, I'm not taking the blame." Minho smirked, speaking in no more than a whisper. Leaning forward, Gen kissed him once more and was glad that she didn't have anymore flashbacks. As Minho wrapped his arms around her Gen smiled softly,

"Hey. Guys." Winston quickly fell silent, but Minho didn't stop to even reply to him. Pulling back slightly, Gen raised her eyebrow,

"Winston is over there." She told him.

"I know." Minho nodded, "Just ignore him and he'll go away." Leaning forward, Minho was about to kiss her when Gen felt something hit her shoulder. Breaking away from Minho she looked down at what Winston had thrown at her. It was an... apple? Bending over, Gen picked up the apple and before she could even think she sunk her teeth into it. It was the best apple she had eaten in her life.

"Where did you get this?" Gen stammered, trying to speak with the mouthful of the apple,

"More importantly..." Minho began, "Where the shuck is mine?" Winston glanced between them,

"There's a box out there." He said pointing over his shoulder, "Frypan's taken over." He added with a smirk. Gen couldn't help but chuckle. It was good that Frypan was able to get his old job back. As Newt entered the room with an apple and a pear in his hands, he looked to the group and raised his eyebrow,

"What the bloody hell is going on in here?" He asked suspiciously, "Minho, you might wanna go check out what's goin' on out there too." He added, looking to Minho who raised his eyebrow. Gen was frozen, her eyes locked onto his like he was a ghost that had come back to haunt her. Catching her eye, Newt frowned at her, "What? Is there something on my face?" He asked, bringing his hand up to wipe his face. Gen shook her head before she looked down at her feet,

"Nah. Newt. You're... looking good?" She said awkwardly, earning stares from everyone in the room, minus Thomas. "What?" She asked, looking around at three faces,

"Did you just say Newt was lookin' good?" Winston asked, "I thought you and Minho were a thing. I'm so confused."

"We are a thing." Minho snapped, "Gen just likes to be incredibly creepy apparently." He murmured. Newt was still staring at her like she was completely insane,

"Is there something you wanna tell me? That thing you were going to tell me about when you remembered it? You know... that thing..."

"Newt. No one knows what you're talking about." Minho said on behalf of everyone in the room. Gen shrugged. She knew what he was talking about. He was talking about the dreams she had told him about back in the Glade, more specifically the fact she promised she would tell him if she remembered anything new.

"No. I just feel a little dizzy.. haven't eaten for a while." She replied softly.

"Okay then. Now that we've been through that. What am I lookin' at?" Minho asked, looking to Winston,

"Oh yeah, there's some creepy guy readin' a book. There's like... a force field so we can't get close to him and every time we try to talk to him, he just keeps telling us to wait." Winston explained. Minho and Gen both exchanged looks before they moved out of the Dorm. As Winston had said, the group of boys, including Aris all sat around the box of food while Frypan yelled out orders and on the far side of the box was the man Winston and Newt had referred to. He was a think man with greying hair and a face that reminded Gen of a rat. He wore an attire of completely white and sat at a desk with his feet on top of it and a book in his hands.

"Alright..." Minho murmured, "What's up with the Rat-Man?"

**A/N: Rat-Man... Ugh. **


	6. The Little Soldier

Moving towards the man that Minho had dubbed 'Rat-Man' Gen's brow furrowed, he had appeared out of nowhere,

"You ever seen his ugly face before?" Minho asked, glancing towards her. Gen shook her head,

"Nah. Or well, I dunno... maybe before the Maze?" She suggested. Minho shrugged his shoulders,

"Let's go find out." He smirked as the pair drew closer to the man, who didn't look up at them as they drew closer. Holding his hands out in front of him, Minho searched for the so called 'forcefield' that protected Rat-Man from... Minho. Hitting the forcefield, Minho jumped back, his brow furrowed, "That's only really shucked." He muttered to himself. Gen didn't reply, her eyes locked onto Rat-Man,

"Hey!" Gen called out, taking a step closer, "Rat-Man!" As the man placed his book down, his eyes flicked upwards to meet hers and a small, yet sly smile crept onto his rat-like features.

"The Little Soldier..." He mused, sending chills up Gen's spine as he spoke. "How nice to see you again. Unfortunately, we still twenty-two minutes until the interviews and forty-seven minutes until the starting of the second trials." He informed them in a cool tone of voice, "So, if you don't mind, Little Soldier, I would really appreciate enjoying what little time I have left in the comfort of my own company."

"Little Soldier?" Minho whispered to her in question as Rat-Man returned to reading his book, a smirk on his face.

"I've never heard it before." Gen replied, taking him by the arm and pulling him away from Rat-Man,

"Well," Minho began, pulling his arm from her hold and spinning her around to face him, "He seems to know you."

"Well, if I could remember him, I would tell you whether or not I know him. But, yes, it appears that I know that rat-faced slinthead." She told him, her eyes shifting past him and onto the man in white.

"Well, it's safe to say, this whole thing is shucked." Minho grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest. Gen nodded,

"That a better way to put it than anything else." Gen agreed. Feeling Minho place her fingertips underneath her chin, her eyes flicked back to meet him as he tilted her head up towards his.

"You know what a shucking pain it is having no privacy in this place?" He asked with a small smirk. Gen grinned at him and gave a nod,

"Exactly the same as the Glade." She mumbled in reply.

"Think in these interviews I'm gonna demand some privacy." He laughed lightly, leaning forward and pecking her on the lips. "What do you think, Girly?" He winked. Gen smirked, standing on her toes to kiss him back, just as lightly and fleeting as his was.

"I think it's a good idea." She grinned, her eyes quickly scoping the room. As expected, the others were too busy stuffing their faces with the food provided to take any notice of her and Minho. Following her gaze, Minho smirked, more than likely noticing exactly what she had noticed. Leaning down towards her, Minho once again kissed her, making it last longer than the last.

"Who _is _that guy?" It was Thomas' voice who greeted them, but once again, Minho didn't stop. Or even acknowledge Thomas who had probably only just woken to the Rat-Man in the common room.

"Dunno." Newt said, "He won't tell us anything." Pulling herself back from Minho, she looked over his shoulder at the sound of a thud. Just as Minho would have done if he hadn't been warned, Thomas ran face first into the forcefield.

"What happened?" Minho asked, leaning forward to kiss her again, proving he really wasn't that concerned.

"Thomas hit the forcefield." Gen replied. Minho looked over his shoulder and sniggered. Once again, Rat-Man recited a variation of the speech he had given Gen, minus the 'Little Soldier' part of it and as Thomas turned away from the forcefield, he looked to her and Minho and jabbed his thumb over his shoulder at Rat-Man, who had returned to reading his book.

"I see you've met our friend." Minho mocked, not letting go of Gen as he spoke. "Real piece of work, that guy. I've gotta get one of those shuck suits. Fancy stuff." He smirked, before turning his attentions back to Gen who raised her eyebrow at him, "What?"

"You really want to be dressed in all white?" Minho grinned,

"Yeah, makes me feel... fancy." He said.

"Am I awake?" Thomas' voice sounded once more,

"Yeah, you are." Gen called over to him, "You should probably eat too." She added, looking him up and down. He looked terrible. No, terrible was an understatement. Thomas was a mess.

"Yeah, you look nearly as bad as Rat-Man over there, reading his book." Minho quipped. Thomas rolled his eyes at him

"Shut up." He snapped before he started to move towards the box of food, "Oh, and get a room!" He added, causing Minho and Gen to jump apart.

"Would if I could, shank. Would if I could." Minho smirked. Thomas once again rolled his eyes before he took a seat next to Frypan and started to dig through the crate.

"You should probably bloody eat too." Newt's voice came from behind her, causing her to jump,

"Klunk! Don't do that." She snapped, raising her eyebrow at Newt, who wore a sour expression, "What's wrong with you?" She asked. Newt shrugged his shoulder, his eyes moving from her to Minho,

"Nothing." He replied, "Just hungry." He was lying. Gen wasn't stupid and when it came to Newt, she could see straight through him.

"Liar. Now, what's your problem?" Gen persisted, her brow furrowing. Newt raised his eyebrow,

"Nothin'" He repeated, "I'm just bloody hungry." Gen gave a short nod. Newt wasn't going to tell her anything. She had never thought him to be the stubborn one, but the look in his eye told her that he'd snap if she persisted.

"Okay then, Newt. Let's eat." She smiled.

"Wait." Minho snapped, pulling her aside as she started to move towards the crate with Newt.

"What?" Gen snapepd back at him, turning her head and noticing that Newt had stopped and was watching them.

"Dorm's free."

"So?"

"What the hell do you mean 'So'?" Minho grumbled,

"Newt needs me. I'm sure we can visit the Dorm some other time." Gen mocked, a teasing smile on her face as Minho rolled his eyes at her, a look of disappointment on his face. Slipping from his hold, Gen stepped towards Newt and as she reached him, Newt started walking again, one hand clutching at his leg as he walked,

"Leg playing up?" Gen asked, looking down a his leg.

"Yeah, a little." Newt nodded, "Everything okay with you and Minho?" He asked. Gen nodded,

"Minho's just being Minho. Everything is fine." She assured him, looking over her shoulder at Minho who had his arms crossed,

"I don't want to get in between you two." Newt smirked, turning his head to look at her. Gen raised her eyebrows at him,

"Why would you get in between us?" She asked, "Minho knows that we're friends. I'm not going to abandon our friendship because of him." Newt flashed her a smile,

"Yeah well, maybe there's something that you don't know." He said. Gen raised an eyebrow as they sat down beside Thomas.

"What does that mean?" Tossing her an apple, Newt shrugged his shoulders,

"You'll find out eventually."


	7. Introductions

As Rat-Man had told them, once it was the 'appropriate' time, he placed his book down and stood, placing his hands behind his back as he moved in front of the desk and overlooked the crowd that was watching them all. From where she sat next to Newt, Gen exhaled, a feeling of relief overwhelming her. She, Newt, Thomas and Minho had been still for the past twenty minutes, their eyes watching Rat-Man. Rising to her feet, Gen crossed her arms, her eyes not once leaving Rat-Man's as his gaze flicked to hers and a cruel smile formed on his lips,

"You're even starting to look the part." He sneered, "Not even a memory wipe can kill the Little Soldier." He said. Gen raised her eyebrows, she could feel her friend's eyes all watching her, wanting to know what the man was talking about.

"Quit the riddles and start talkin'" Gen hissed back at him. Rat-Man glanced down at his watch before looking back to her,

"The problem with you... girl, is still the same I see." He said. No one around her spoke, they all simply stared,

"Yeah? And what's that?" Gen asked.

"The problem with you is the constant cynicism... Always with the cynicism. You carry around guilt, self-loathing... and it seems that not even the Maze could rid you of it." He spoke in a cool tone of voice.

"Hey! You don't know anything, so slim it before I beat your head in!" Minho cried. Rat-Man chuckled lightly,

"You cannot get me in here, boy." He smirked, "Do you think I would be so foolish as to allow myself to be in harm's way? Of course, you must be the one they call Minho... The Fearless Leader." He said, "They did tell me you were a feisty one. Of course, we know all about Thomas, the hero of this tale and lastly: the little Angel, Newt... still fighting to keep his friends together. Must be difficult to try and push aside your own feelings for the sake of your friends..." Newt said nothing, despite the looks he received from Minho, Thomas and Gen. None of them knew what Rat-Man was on about and judging by the look on Newt's face, they never would. "I must tell you, I am quite surprised to find you here..."

"Sorry to bloody disappoint." Newt snapped,

"Oh, forgive me, it wasn't my intent to offend." Rat-Man smirked, "I merely find it surprising that after your... fall, you hadn't tried it again."

"What's he talking about?" Thomas asked, looking to Newt who put his head down, a look of fury and shame on his face.

"Shut up, Thomas." Gen snapped, "You too, Rat-Man." She snapped, looking to Rat-Man who glowered,

"My name is Assistant Director Janson. I suggest you use my name correctly." He hissed, his eyes narrowing to slits.

"I don't care what your name is." Gen replied, "You talk to my friends like that and I'll call you whatever I damn well please." Rat-Man laughed,

"Friends? You call these three boys your friends?"

"Nah, you're right. They mean more to me than that. They're family. Now, if you talk to my family like that one more time. I'm gonna find a way to get through your invisible wall and I'm gonna hit you... and I'm not gonna stop." She threatened, keeping her tone as cool and collected as Rat-Man's,

"I see.." He smirked, "Well, seeing as how the introductions are complete. I suggest we commence with the interviews." He said, snapping his fingers, three different doors appeared out of nowhere and from them emerged three men in labcoats along with two guards that stood behind them with guns. "Thomas... Newt... and Minho... I would ask you all to move towards one of these men. Doesn't matter who... the questions are the same." He said with a slight irritation as his gaze flicked between the three boys who did not move, "Move now or the guards will move you on your behalf." He threatened, exchanging looks with one another, Thomas was the first to move, followed by Newt. Looking to her left, she found that Minho hadn't moved; his arms were still crossed firmly over his chest and his glare was focused on no one else but Rat-Man who raised his eyebrow,

"Fine. I did warn you." Clicking his fingers, two guards quickly moved towards Minho, they're guns pointed at him.

"Leave him alone." Gen hissed, moving towards Minho only to have a third guard appear out of nowhere and restrain her.

"Move boy." The larger of the two guards ordered, both of their guns aimed at Minho, who showed no fear in his dark eyes,

"Bite me." Minho huffed, causing the second guard to slam the butt of his gun into Minho's face,

"Stop it!" Gen cried involuntarily as she tried to fight against the hold of the third guard. She wanted to run towards Minho and hold him close, but she was useless; just a little girl struggling against the hold of a grown man, watching while the boy she loved was beaten. None of the Glader's moved to help him, they all stood in fear before Rat-Man clicked his fingers and the two guards stepped back, allowing Gen to see Minho's beaten and bruised face for herself, yet, despite the blood and swelling, he still wore a smile as their eyes met.

"I said move him, not beat him." Rat-Man sighed as the two guards grabbed one of Minho's arms and dragged him towards the last door. Once Minho was gone, Rat-Man turned his eye on her, "You're with me, Little Soldier." He smiled sickly as the guard that held her pushed her _through _the invisible wall and into a small room with nothing but a desk and three chairs, two on one side and one on the other. As the guard pushed her into the single chair, Rat-Man moved around the table and sat in one of the two chairs,

"Shall we begin?" He asked. Gen didn't reply, she stared straight through him, a blank expression on her face, "I'll take that as a yes." Placing his hands on the desk, he started to speak, "You know... I find it quite interesting watching how you communicate with both Newt and Minho."

"Why?"

"Well, it's quite simple. It has come to my attention that you are aware that you and Newt shared a past, am I correct in saying that?" He asked. Gen shrugged her shoulder,

"I've had a few glimpses. Nothing special." She replied.

"Of course, you're so in love with Minho now, aren't you." His tone was mocking and only made Gen want to stab him in the face. "That is obvious.. however, I am... quite curious about your relationship with Newt... you see, the pair of you share a different kind of bond. You protect each other in ways that you and Minho never will."

"I don't know what that even means." Gen smirked, sitting back in the chair and crossing her arms,

"You are aware that he tried to kill himself within the Maze... I was watching you when you made that promise with him." He said.

"That's creepy." Gen snapped at him. Rat-Man ignored her,

"You made him promise never to leave you, never to die..." There was a slight sneer in his tone as he spoke, "You told him that you would have done anything to keep him by your side. But, the most fascinating part of that promise was nothing to do with you, but with him." Gen raised her eyebrow as Rat-Man leant towards her, "In that moment, all Newt had to say was three simple words and he would have had you, instead, he gave you up to that beast, Minho."

"What are you talking about?"

"Are you really so blind?" Rat-Man scoffed, "That boy is in love with you. Has been for quite awhile so the rumour goes." He smirked, standing, Gen slammed her palms on the desk,

"You're a liar! Newt would have told me!" She cried, "Stop trying to mess with my head!" Rat-Man smiled,

"You do realize those interviews aren't meant for the others. The interview is for you, not them." He said. Gen slowly sunk back into the chair,

"Why am I so special?" She grumbled. Rat-Man smiled in amusement,

"Special? No, actually it's quite the contrary." He said. Hearing a knock on the door that seemed to appear out of nowhere on the other side of the room, Gen's eyes widened as a man walked through, a smile on his face. It was Peter.

**A/N: There was a lot of banter here. So, what was your favourite line? In this chapter I mean. Just out of curiosity :) **


	8. Interview

As Peter moved towards the table and took a seat beside Rat-Man, Gen said nothing, staring wide-eyed at the man who she believed to be dead.

"Hello Sweetheart." He greeted, just as he did inside of her dreams. But, she wasn't dreaming. Peter was real, he was sitting right in front of her, the living embodiment of every demon that haunted her when she closed her eyes.

"You..." She breathed, causing Peter to chuckle,

"Me, indeed." He grinned, sitting back in the chair and placing his hands on his head. Quickly rising to her feet, Gen spun on her heel towards the door... that was missing. Hitting the solid wall, where the door she had entered through had once been, she spun back to face the two men, slamming her back into the wall,

"What happened to the door?" She asked,

"You're askin' the wrong questions, love." Peter said calmly, gesturing for her to sit back down. However, Gen didn't move, causing Peter to tilt his head, "Alright, if you wanna stand, be my guest." He smiled, "Now, down to business... How's Minho going?" he asked.

"Go to hell." Gen hissed at him, causing him to pull a feigned look of offence,

"Now, now, is that any way to treat the Angel's that saved you and your friends?" He asked. Gen was silent as she slowly moved back toward the chair and sat across from the two men,

"If you're Angel's..." She began, her eyes meeting with both on them in turn, "I hope you all choke on your halos." Earning a laugh from Rat-Man, Gen felt a chill run down her spine,

"She hasn't changed at all, has she?" He asked, his eyes flicking to Peter who nodded,

"She's more social... that's new." he smirked before setting his eyes onto Gen, who was glaring at him, "You know I would never hurt you... not really." He said,

"Hurt me all you want. I've got nothin' to lose."

"You have everything to lose." Rat-Man said, cutting her off.

"What do you want from me?" Gen finally asked, causing Peter to grin,

"Finally, you worked out the right question to ask." He smirked, "By now, you're probably wondering why we call you 'The Phoenix'." He said.

"Actually, I've been wondering why he keeps calling me the 'Little Soldier'." Gen snapped, raising both of her eyebrow's at Rat-Man, who wore an amused expression,

"I'm not the one to tell you. But, you'll find out soon. That I can promise you." He said, "Now, if you would allow Peter to explain why we have brought you here..."

"Well." Peter began, "The phoenix, as you know is a bird that dies and then is reborn again in the ashes... You see, you're a variable, Genevieve." He said,

"What does that mean?"

"It means, that you're not exactly an... important subject." Rat-Man explained "We placed you in Group A in order to see how the others would react... of course, that was not my idea. However, you proved to be volatile and extremely hostile... and it seemed you would be best suited within an environment with more... masculinity that could possibly control you. Fortunately, you seemed to have not carried over those traits from your past." He smiled. Clearing his throat, Peter raised his eyebrow,

"Can I finish?" He asked, earning a glare from Rat-Man who said nothing. Turning his gaze back to Gen, Peter grinned, "As you would expect, Minho... your fearless love, has been a rather difficult subject. He doesn't react as... we expect. He is... difficult to break." He clarified. "However, it's no lie that Minho holds strong feelings for you, just as you do for him. So, in order to understand and work out just what it takes to make Minho crack, you're going to... leave. You'll be killed within his heart and then, once we have gathered enough from his actions and speech, you'll be reborn again and returned to him. Thus, the Phoenix... came up with it myself, pretty clever, huh?" He was grinning as he spoke.

"You're a monster." Gen hissed at him, "If you think you can bully me into leaving Minho, I won't do it." He snapped.

"You will do it." Rat-Man growled, "You see, when Group A is set to move into Phase Two of the trials, you will not be joining them, nor will you be telling them why you will not be joining them."

"What makes you think I'll do that?" Gen snapped. Peter smirked, crossing his arms over his chest,

"You don't get it do you? Your attachment to your friends will be the end of you." He smirked, "We're not doing this to break your little heart." He sneered, "We're doing this to study you. To see what makes you different from those not immune to The Flare. Without this, the world will end."

"Well then just let it end!" Gen screamed at him. Rising to his feet, Rat-Man slammed his palms onto the desk, causing Gen to jump,

"You're still the arrogant little girl you were before the trials." he snapped. Gen averted her eyes from him and instead, set her gaze onto Peter who sighed,

"You just can't stand the thought of being alone, can you? You've gotta drag everyone through hell with you." He said calmly. Gen was silent, her eyes falling to the desk. After what seemed like an eternity, Gen finally parted her lips,

"Go ahead, torture me, kill me, do whatever you want. I'm not going to betray Minho."As the words reached Rat-Man's ears, he narrowed his eyes,

"You will do this whether I have to-" Trailing off, Rat-Man stopped talking as he heard Peter laugh, "What's so funny?" He snapped. Still wearing an amused smile on his face, Peter stopped laughing and looked at Gen who raised her eyebrow at him,

"I have something."

"What's that?" Gen asked.

"Newt." Gen was silent, her eyes wide as she watched Peter, trying to understand what it was he was implying. "Look, I know that he cares about you and I know that you care about him. I've seen first hand how much he needs you... how much you need him... So, If you don't do what we ask of you, I'm gonna put a bullet in his head." Peter spoke crisply. There was nothing in his eyes or his voice that suggested that he was bluffing.

"You can't do that. He's... He's the glue. He's the one that holds us together, you kill him and everything will fall apart, your plan will-"

"Shut up!" Peter roared, causing her to fall silent. "Hell, I'll shoot the brat in front of you if it'll teach you a lesson. Now, are you going to do it, or do I have to show you what happens when you cross me?" He asked. Gen bit her lip, she had no other choice. She loved Minho, but she wouldn't just let Newt die,

"I'll do it." The words escaped her lips like razors that tore apart her throat and heart. Peter and Rat-Man both flashed her a smile,

"Very good, Sweetheart. I knew you'd come around. You're doing the right thing." Peter told her. Closing her eyes, Gen wanted to die. She was about to lose everyone she loved, Minho, Newt, Thomas, Teresa, even Clint. Gen opened her eyes once more when she heard a scrapping sound across the desk. In front of her was a gun that Peter had slid towards her. Picking it up, she flipped it over: It was the same gun that Gally had used to kill Chuck. Feeling both Peter's and Rat-Man's eyes set onto her, Gen placed the gun back down, she felt a lump in her throat as she tried to swallow back the grief,

"It's going to take more than that to break me." She hissed, sliding the gun back towards him. Catching it, Peter leant forward,

"Breaking you is the one thing I'm looking forward to." He growled, a sly smile on his face before he sat back, "The gun will be under your pillow ten minutes before the door is set to close and Phase Two begins."

"Why do I need a gun?" She asked.

"Well, if someone tried to stop you. You're going to shoot them." He smiled, "And if you don't, I'll personally torture them and trust me when I say that torture is my speciality." Sitting back, Peter smirked and Gen didn't once take her eyes off of him as she felt a pair of hands on her shoulders that pulled her out of the chair and back to the common room.


	9. Hard Decisions

Everything seemed to slow down completely as the boys raced around, collecting sheets to carry food in. She wasn't going with them, she was going to a different Hell, no, a guaranteed Hell. She may even die while under the mercy of Peter Greyson, a demon she believed to be dead. That she wished was dead. She was running out of time and as she looked up at the clock on the wall, her heart stopped, twelve minutes until the end. Until the boys enter the Flat Trans. Two minutes until the gun that was used to kill Chuck would be underneath her pillow, ready to be fired once more. Gen could still remember Rat-Man and Peter's grand exit, the fog that took away everything; the desk, the doors, even Peter and Rat-Man themselves. There was nowhere that Gen could run, there was nothing else she could do but listen to what the pair had told her to do. Turning on her heel, she moved towards the dorm, keeping her gaze low as the boys rushed around. Entering the room, she found that it was thankfully empty. Looking over her shoulder, she checked for any of the Glader's before moving towards her bed and throwing the pillow to the ground. The gun was there, and looking around for another clock, she wanted to know how long it had taken for her to reach the room. Outstretching her hand, she picked it up and looked at it as if it were made of glass, before she tucked it underneath her shirt. She hoped to god she didn't have to use it.

"Gen? What are you doing in here?" Looking over her shoulder, she found that it was Thomas standing in the doorway.

"Nothing. What are you doing in here, Thomas?" She asked. Thomas shrugged his shoulders, but didn't speak. "Well, I'll leave you to it then." She sighed, moving towards the doorway, she could feel Thomas' gaze set onto her, he wanted to talk about one of two things, Teresa or Chuck. Neither a topic she was in the mood for. As she pushed past him and moved back into the main area.

"Hey, Gen." Minho greeted, but Gen said nothing, simply pushing past him and moving towards the other boys, "Hey. What's wrong with you?" He asked, grabbing onto her bicep and spinning her back around to face him.

"I'm just concentrating on making sure we have enough supplies." She told him simply, looking him dead in the eye as she spoke. "Now, let me go." She said softly, making sure that she didn't snap at the leader of their group. Minho frowned before he reluctantly let her go and turned his attention to Thomas who seemed just as annoyed to see him as Gen was. Seeing that as her time to sneak away, she didn't look back and instead, moved towards the wall and sat, exhaling loudly. She was hoping that she would see Teresa again. She had been trying her hardest not to think of her, but knowing that she was at least in the same situation as Aris was some comfort to her, she only hoped that the girls in Group B were kinder to her than the Gladers were to Aris. Pressing her back against the wall, her mind returned to the Nikola guy, he would be in the same situation as her. He had to be and it seemed that they shared a similar bond to Aris, Thomas and Teresa. Closing her eyes she took a breath once more, '_Nikola? This is Genevieve. Are you there? Or am I just slowly losing my mind..?' _Reopening her eyes, she watched as the Gladers piled the food into the sheets and swung them over their shoulders.

'_You're not losing your mind... Hi._' Widening her eyes, Gen swallowed, trying her best to keep calm,

_'You're Nikola, right?' _

_'I prefer Nik... Nikola makes me sound like a girl.' _He explained, causing Gen to smirk at what the others would think was nothing.

'_The boys here call me Gen. Feel free to use it. Tell me, is a new girl with you? A girl named Teresa?' _

_'Yeah. I haven't had much to do with her, she's mostly been with Harriet and Sonya. But yeah, she's here. That means you have Aris?' _

_'Yep. Tell me about Peter though, did he come see you?' _The question was vital and as the seconds passed, she was starting to grow uneasy,

_'Peter? Well... yeah. He told me some things that I'm not supposed to say. But, I'm certain we'll be meeting soon. We've got three minutes left. You should get ready.' _

_'No, wait. Nik? Hello? Come back.' _There was no reply and Gen found herself to feel more alone than before. As Minho and Thomas gathered in front of the Flat Trans. Getting to her feet, she moved towards them and was surprised to feel Newt place a hand on her shoulder as he moved up beside her,

"When we get through here, I'm gonna tell you that thing." He said seriously before letting his hand fall.

"Anyone change their mind overnight?" Minho asked, asserting his superiority as he spoke, Speak now or never. Once we go wherever we're going, if some shank decides he's a sissy-pants and tries to turn back, I'll make sure he does it with a broken nose and smashed privates." Gen rolled her eyes and listened as Newt groaned, placing his head in his hands.

"Newt, you got a problem?" Minho said, his voice was surprisingly stern as he spoke. His gaze set onto Newt who looked up at him,

"Uh... no. Just admiring your bloody leadership skills." He replied. Gen looked in between them,

"We don't have time for-"

"What does this say, slinthead?" Minho hissed, pulling his collar down to show the tattoo.

"We know you're the boss, Minho. So slim it." Newt said, his brow furrowed.

"No, you slim it." He retorted, pointing at Newt who clenched his jaw, "We don't have time for that klunk. So, shut your hole."

"How about both of you shut up?" Gen cried, "It's Six o'clock so shut up and start moving." Gen growled, her gaze locked in particularly on Minho, who raised both of his eyebrows.

"Fine. I'll go first. Newt, you go last, make sure everyone follows." He commanded. Allowing his eyes to meet Gen's one more time, he gave her a soft smile that pained Gen to return before he turned on his heel and moved forward, becoming engulfed in the swirls of grey. He was gone and there was a possibility that she would never see him again. One by one the boys followed in Minho's lead and Gen couldn't help but count them off. Thomas... Clint... Frypan... Winston. One by one they all walked not only into the second trial, but out of her life.

"Gen, go. Hurry up." Newt said, looking beside her, she saw that they were the only ones left.

"You go. I'll follow you." She replied. Newt frowned, his eyes examining her face before he spoke,

"You're not coming with us, are you?" Gen was silent, but silence was the only confirmation Newt needed. "Why?" He then asked.

"That's not something I can discuss. Newt. Just go." She pressured, grabbing him by the hand and tugging him towards the Trans Flat. "Go."

"I'm not going anywhere without you." There was a small pause before he spoke once more, "Did WICKED threaten you?" He asked softly. When she didn't give him a reply, Newt frowned, "Whatever this is... we can work it out. Just like we always do." He said, "We're a bloody team, remember?" Gen averted his eyes and swallowed,

"You're running out of time, Newtie." She told him

"Come on. We can't bloody do this without you. We need you. Minho needs you."

"Minho's a big boy, he'll be fine without me." She said,

"I need you." Gen froze, feeling tears well in her eyes as Newt continued to speak, "I don't think I'll cope without you. Remember the promise you made me make? Where you said you'd go out of your bloody mind if I died. Well, right back at you. I'm going to go insane if you're gone." Gen fought back the tears, but it was too late, Newt had already noticed. Looking to the clock once more, she took a breath and pulled the gun out from under her shirt and pointed it at him.

"I swear to god, Newt. You don't walk through there right now, I'm gonna put a bullet in your god damn leg." She threatened. Causing Newt to merely shrug,

"You wanna shoot me, shoot me." Feeling tears start to fall down her face, Gen grit her teeth, she hated him for making things difficult, but he was the reason she was doing what she was. Everything she was doing was to save him. Throwing the gun aside, she rushed forward and embraced him. "I'm sorry." She whispered, "I'm so sorry." Before Newt knew what had hit him, Gen pushed him through the Trans Flat and as his body was engulfed by the grey, she collapsed. Everyone was gone. Hearing a set of slow footsteps move into the room, Gen froze, not looking at the owner,

"Very good, Sweetheart. Now comes the hard part."


	10. Betrayal

"Newt? What happened? Are you okay?" Minho was silent as Thomas ran towards the blonde boy that had collapsed through the trans flat and into the dark corridor along with the other Gladers. All but one. As Minho pushed his way towards the other Glader's who had surrounded Newt, he knelt down in front of the blonde who hadn't spoken.

"Newt." Minho growled, placing a hand on his shoulder. He hadn't meant to be harsh when he spoke, but he was supposed to be the leader, just like Alby was and Nick was before him. The only difference was that Minho was thrown into something none of them had ever experienced before. They were all trapped inside of a pitch black corridor that Minho was supposed to know how to navigate, all the while knowing what was wrong.

"Minho." Newt forced out. He looked stressed and Minho was silent as Newt continued to pant, trying to search for the words that Minho already knew, "Gen's gone." Newt finally said and as the words reached Minho's ears, despite already knowing them, they still hurt.

"Where is she?" Thomas asked, looking around at Minho who swallowed. Each of them were watching him, but Minho refused to show any weakness.

"I don't know." Newt answered.

"Minho. I'm sorry." Clint said softly. Minho took a small breath before he forced himself to stand,

"There's nothin' to be sorry about. She made her own decision." He muttered bitterly. He couldn't even say her name. It was as if she no longer existed, like she was just another ghost of his past... just one that he had the displeasure of being haunted by. Minho felt betrayed, that was the only way to describe his feelings. "Stop looking at me like that!" Minho roared, his words echoing around them.

"Minho. Enough." Thomas hissed as he helped Newt to his feet, "We need to concentrate on getting to this place in two weeks. Everyone here is relying on you." Placing his hands on his head, Minho turned away from them. He never asked to be the leader, not once did he ever ask to be the leader.

"Gen might come back." Minho heard a Glader suggest.

"Doubt it." Another quipped, "Why else didn't Gen go through the door with us?"

"Well, Gen doesn't seem like the type to just leave."

"If I hear someone say her name _one _more time, I'm gonna start throwin' punches." Minho growled, not bothering to look over his shoulder at the group who all stopped their whispers.

"What if she does come back?" It was Thomas who spoke as he moved up behind Minho, "Teresa is gone too, maybe it's the same circumstance?" he asked. When Minho didn't give an answer, Thomas continued to speak, "What are you going to do if we do run into Ge-... her?" Minho smirked, looking down the corridor at the pitch black before him. He wasn't going to give Thomas a reply, but there was no doubt. Gen had betrayed him and how could he possibly ever bring himself to trust her again... assuming he ever saw again.

"Let's keep moving."

**A/N: This is a short chapter. You guys can have another. **


	11. Strangers

Gen was silent as a pair of guards dragged her along behind Peter. They were back in WICKED's headquarters that was as if nothing had happened. The shattered glass had been repaired and the place was swarming with people all in white coats. No one paid any attention to Gen as she was dragged down the corridors. No one cared enough to pay her any attention. She was just a subject, a mere guniea pig for them to prod and poke at. Gen swallowed as she tried to keep her head up. Before the pair of guards had decided to drag her away, she had been injected with a mysterious substance that made her head feel like it was spinning. Things were going to change. Finally, Gen was brought into a room that was similar to the one she had the interview with Rat-Man and Peter in and was forced down into a chair. Looking across from her, Gen set her eyes onto Peter once more. He was grinning at her and why wouldn't he be? He was under the impression that he had won. That he had beaten her. But, just as Peter was looking forward to whatever it was that he had planned for Gen, she was looking forward to proving him wrong.

"I was... surprised to say the least at the willingness in your tone when you said you were going to shoot Newt." Peter began, tilting his head as he spoke as if it was some kind of sign that he was superior to her. Swallowing, Gen had half the mind to break his nose and make a run for it, but instead, Gen focused the remainder of her strength on holding her head up,

"Go to hell." She breathed, watching him from under her eyelids. Peter smiled softly, he was amused by her attitude. But, Gen knew that was only because attitude was the only thing Gen had left.

"Everything is about to change." Peter explained, his amused expression fading and instead, was replaced by a serious 'let's-do-business' expression. "You'll be pleased to know that the boys have noticed your absence and already we have seen changes in Minho's attitude and personality. He seems more focused, much more-"

"Shut up!" Gen snapped, feeling a sharp pang in the left side of her head as she so foolishly allowed herself to act on impulse rather than play her cards smart and keep her mouth shut.

"Why don't you take control of yourself, so we can have a chat like a pair of adults. After all, it's your eighteenth birthday very soon." He said lightly. Gen slowly allowed her head to fall back so that she was looking up at the ceiling and was slumped down in the chair. She didn't care about how old she was, she just wanted to see her friends again. Alive. "I promise you, once the group reach the destination we need them to, you will be returned to them better and stronger than before." He told her. Gen shrugged,

"Do what you want. See if I care." She said. Peter smiled softly,

"You did the same thing before the Maze, turn on the tough girl act and pretend no one can see through it." He muttered, "But, I know the truth. I know how dead you are inside. I know how much you hate yourself. How much you just want everything to end. You forget, I've been inside your head, Genevieve." He whispered almost as if it was a secret that he wanted no one else but her to hear. "You wanted to know why we call you the Little Soldier?" Gen swallowed, forcing herself to look back at him and give a stiff nod, his previous words still swimming in her head, "Well, you see, your father, the great Andrew Sawyer was once apart of Denver's military." He explained, "He was well known, excellent soldier. And you... you were the little army brat running around after daddy. You wanted to be just like him and in so many ways you are... of course, that was only after he was gone. You see, daddy loved his job more than you and once the Flare broke out, he ran off with his little army pals and left his family to die." Peter mocked.

"You told me my parents were dead." Gen said seriously.

"I lied. Or well, your father is dead now. After being on the run for years and your mother actually works for me. But, that's for a later time. Your father though, well, when he ran off you were devastated to say the least, you used to refer to him as the 'number one deadbeat dad'. But, the funniest part, was the more bitter you became, the more like him you were. Thus, the Little Soldier." Gen shrugged her shoulders,

"You say all of this like it's supposed to mean something. I don't even remember what he looks like." She said. Peter smiled,

"Oh, but you will and the funny part about pain and bitterness is that the more time you spend not feeling it... the more unbearable it becomes the moment when you do feel it. Let's just say I'm preparing you for what is to come."

"Who is Nikola?"

"Oh? He... well, you're about to meet him very soon. You're also going to become quite familiar with each other's screams... again" Gen said nothing, she didn't have any power over the man before her. He was willing to kill her just to prove a point. It was the type of man he was.

"So, why can we talk to each other telepathically?"

"Oh, that's because he's your brother. You both used to be rather close as well, until we wiped your memories." He mocked. Gen narrowed her eyes,

"You're lying."

"Actually, I'm not. People just immediately assume I am." He shrugged, "Would you like a DNA test done?" Gen said nothing, her eyes locked onto his. Like he had said, he wasn't lying.

"So... I've got a brother?"

"A little brother to be exact, year younger than you... You were so adorable as kids, you used to pretend you were just like your father and follow him around, making sure he didn't get hurt. Quite similar to how you are with Newt." He said. Gen once again averted her eyes, she just wished he would tell her what he wanted. "You know, I've been doing all of the talking. It's your turn." He said, raising both of his eyebrows,

"I don't know what you want from me. I'm away from Minho. Great. Now, put me in a cell and lock me away until the time comes for me to go back and be done with it." She snapped. Peter tilted his head,

"No can do." He smirked in reply, "You see... all this is like a game of chess. You've got your king: Minho. Thomas as your Knight. Newt as your bishop and then you as Minho's Queen. The Queen is the strongest piece on the board. It's about time you live up to that, don't you think?" Beofre Gen was able to reply, she quickly snapped her head around at the sound of the door swinging open. Blinking, Gen didn't care for the two men who moved into the room, but rather the boy that moved into the room. He was tall, like Newt with dark hair that stuck upwards in a tangled mess and a pair of dark eyes that watched her. She assumed that the boy was her so called brother: Nikola. But, that wasn't the thing that bothered her about the boy, it was a look in his eyes as they looked at each other and the small smile that crept onto his lips. He _knew _her. It was a smile of recognition and yet, in Gen's eyes he was no more than another stranger in her life.


	12. A New Set Of Eyes

Nik couldn't speak, his eyes were locked onto pale-skinned girl that was his _blood _relation. His _sister. _As he took a small step towards the hesitant dark brown, near black haired girl, he couldn't help but broaden his smile, he had seen her face at least a thousand times in his dreams since he had awoken from the Changing.

"Hey." He said, nodding in her direction. Gen raised her eyebrow softly as Nik placed his hands on his hips,

"Hey..." She replied, looking him up and down. Nik had a thousand questions to ask her, but he figured he's simply be beaten by a guard... again. As Nik parted his lips to speak once again, he quickly shut his mouth again, there was something off about the girl before him. She was different to how he perceived her from his dreams, she seemed more stiff and held a cold demeanour that seemed to engulf her. Feeling his brow furrow, he averted his gaze from her, that was a lie. Even within his dreams, she proved to be a rather hostile and volatile girl and in some ways, that aspect of her seemed to have almost weakened. The only difference was she was no longer the girl who protected him. She looked at him and saw just another threat. Nik had to admit he was more than a little disappointed, but he had not agreed to leave with WICKED just to meet his sister, he had left to save the love of his life: Sonya. Swallowing, Nik held his breath and closed his eyes. He could still see the blonde of her hair and feel the warmth of her touch. There was nothing he wouldn't do for her. Opening his eyes once more, he set his gaze back onto Genevieve, in some ways she was a more composed version of the _other _girl he had once followed through the maze. The Head of the Runners, Claire. In many ways, Nik was also doing whatever it was he thought he was doing for the olive skinned ex-runner. She was still rather... angry with him to say the least, but Nik couldn't help how he felt about Sonya. Once again closing his eyes only briefly, he pictured the girl in his head. She was simple... in a matter of speaking and had a wealth of brown curly hair, and almond-shaped, deep brown eyes with thick dark lashes. Muscular. Tall. Beautiful. But, there was one thing about her that prevented Nik from seeing Claire as anything other than a friend: She wasn't _her. _

"Nik, meet your sister, Genevieve. Genevieve, this is your brother, Nikola... however, he has insisted he be referred to as 'Nik'." The man Nik knew only vaguely said, looking between them.

"Thank you for stating the obvious, Peter." Gen retorted, although her words escaped her lips in more of a slur.

"What's going on?" Nik said, looking towards Peter, "What happens now? Do we just sit around and wait for you to throw us in the Scorch or...?" As Peter turned his head to look at him, Nik flashed him a grin.

"Dude... you clearly haven't gotten the same speech." Genevieve smirked, looking back around towards Peter who sat across from her.

"Nik, would you care to join us?" Peter asked with a small smile. Looking over his shoulder at the two guards that watched him, he gave a small nod and moved towards the chair that sat in the corner before dragging it towards the desk and next to Gen and sat down. "Nik. Would you care to tell your sister about your life in Group B?" Peter asked. Nik raised his eyebrows before looking towards Gen who seemed uninterested and more focused on Peter.

"Well... it was... good." He said,

"Good?" Gen asked, snapping her head around to look at him, "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Well, it was bad. Of course it was... I just... Well, there was some good. I made friends." He said, shrugging his shoulders. Seeing Genevieve's face soften, Nik smiled in an attempt to reassure her, "I guess you made plenty of friends too, huh?" He asked, when Genevieve didn't reply, Nik continued, "They threatened someone you cared about didn't they?"

"Nik." Peter's tone was threatening, but Nik didn't care,

"Who was it? They threatened the girl I love and that's why I'm here... you must be the same, right?" Snapping her head around to look at him once more, Genevieve smiled,

"Let me guess, your girlfriend's some badass with more snark than brains?" Gen asked, cocking an eyebrow. Nik shook his head,

"No, actually. Her name's Sonya... she's more the intelligent, level-headed one." Nik explained. Gen paused,

"Guess that's one path we differed on inside of the Maze." She smiled softly.

"For now." Peter added, drawing both Nik and Genevieve's attention. "Are we done then? Can I explain what's going on now?" He asked.

"Go for it." Nik said.

"I actually have nothing to say. I just wanted you two to shut up so those two." He said, pointing towards the pair of guards that had originally brought Nik into the room, "Can take you away." Peter smiled, "Tootles. Talk later. I pinky promise." He smiled, winking at the pair of them. Neither of them spoke as the pair of guards moved towards he and Genevieve and took them harshly by the arms and dragged them towards the door. Genevieve didn't speak as she was lead past him and out of the door in front of him. As she passed however, Nik caught a glimpse of something he hadn't seen before inside of his dreams- it was a gold coin on a thin string. As Nik was pushed out of the door after her, he was reminded of one of the memories he had remembered within the Changing...

_A few days had passed since Nik and Genevieve had been taken into WICKED's headquarters. Sitting inside of the white room Nik had been forced to call his new home, he pulled his knees up to his chest and exhaled. All he wanted was for his father to rush into the room and save them like the hero everyone had always said he was. But the truth was, he was gone. Not dead... just... gone and for the first time in Nik's life, he had felt all alone. He wasn't his sister. He wasn't strong like her. He couldn't stand up to the guards or pretend that everything was going to be okay. He was just a scared little boy. Looking up at the sound of the door unlocking, Nik didn't bother greeting that dark haired girl as she moved into the room. Genevieve had a habit of picking the locks on the doors and making herself at home in whatever room she happened to move into. _

"_What's up, kiddo?" She asked, raising her eyebrow as she flopped down onto his bed. Outstretching his legs in front of him, Nik didn't say anything as his eyes fell onto her face, another bruise covered her left cheekbone like a purple blush. It seemed as though every time his sister came to visit him, she had another marking that proved just how evil WICKED was. _

"_You shouldn't be here." Nik mumbled. _

"_Oh well. How else am I gonna check up on you, huh?" She asked, "That's all I seem to be stuck doin' these days." She mused, wearing a smug expression as she watched him, "Lookin' after my punk little brother." _

"_It's not your job to look after me." Nik hissed as he pushed himself to his feet, _

"_Sure it is." She replied just calm enough to cause Nik's expression to soften, "I'm sure is dad was here-" _

"_He's not here." _

"_Yeah, but I am." Gen said, "And so long as I'm here, you're gonna keep that smooth complexion of yours and I'm gonna raise a little hell till dad comes back." Nik had half the mind to tell her the truth- that dad wasn't coming back. But, instead, he bit his lip and gave a stiff nod as Gen moved forward and wrapped her arms around him, "I'm never gonna leave you. I promise." _


	13. Daddy's Good Little Soldier

The cell was small and in some ways a lot like the dorm. Just... smaller. It was completely white with a bunk bed and another room that was a bathroom. Gen only spent an hour asleep before she was awake again and spent more than three hours talking to Nik who told her all about his journey through the Maze with only one main difference, he had chosen the Newt equivalent, a girl named Sonya who had been his weakness. The reason he was in the room with her. From what she could tell Nik was completely heartbroken at being separaeted from her and on more than one occasion, he seemed like he was going to cry. On the contrary, he had also been quite surprised about her connection to Minho and why she wasn't as heartbroken as he was about Sonya. After finishing yet another story about his beloved, Gen sighed,

"Great. I think I just puked in my mouth a little." She smirked, earning a scowl from Nik,

"Just because you don't love Minho doesn't mean I can't be in love with my _girl_friend." He said. Gen had half the mind to tell him off, but she figured that trying to explain her and Minho's definition of 'love' would be long and tiring.

"I'm not judging." Gen sighed, "But, you couldn't have possibly thought WICKED would let you two live your happily ever after. Did you? Sometimes.. it's better to let things go." She said softly. Nik smirked,

"Yeah? Tell that to Minho." Rolling her eyes, Gen gave out a sigh,

"That's not what I meant." She muttered, "What I meant was, you need to stop sulking and prove that you're stronger than WICKED thinks you are." She said. Nik nodded,

"Well, in that case you're probably right. I still don't get how we can talk to each other telepathically, but we can't talk to Aris or Teresa or whoever the other guy is in your group."

"Thomas."

"Right." Nik nodded, "Well, have you tried talking to anyone else?" He asked, "I tried talking to the Teresa girl but there was just... nothing."

"Well, I know that Aris and Thomas can talk to each other. Who knows, maybe we're just weird like that?" She suggested with a slight smile. Before Nik could open his mouth to reply, the door swung open and they were greeted by Peter and his mocking smile.

"Gen, come along with me." He smiled, "Nik, you'll be picked up by Dr. Derek Cox as he is in charge of you. Gen?" Turning his gaze to Gen, he raised his eyebrows, giving Gen no choice but to stand and move towards him.

"Let's go." She smiled, causing Peter to look her up and down,

"Never seen someone so excited to be... well... you'll fine out soon enough." He smirked, grabbing onto her wrist and tugging her out of the room and slamming shut the door that seemed to lock on it's own. As Peter started to drag her down the corridor, she heard Nik's voice

'_Good luck'_ Not bothering to reply, she simply responded in her own way with a smile. Gen didn't bother fighting against Peter as he dragged her along. She was doing it for Newt, she would endure the torture and anything else Peter had up his sleeve for him, she was going to save his life and her mistakes were not going to cost him his life. As soon as they reached the room that Peter was going to use for his torture, Gen stared wide eyes at the metal chair that had metal cuffs that would restrain both of her hands and her feet.

"I'm guessing you want me to sit over there?" She asked. Peter gave a nod,

"If you would be so kind."

"My pleasure." She retorted, moving towards the metal chair that had a strange looking head piece hovering above it. Taking a breath, she turned to face Peter and sat. As soon as Peter nodded, two men in white moved forward, tightening the cuffs around her wrists and ankles and once Gen proved that she was unable to escape them, they moved back towards the long control panel, allowing Peter to move in to take their place and pull the head piece down onto her head.

"This is going to hurt, isn't it?" She asked as Peter moved back and picked up a mouthpiece.

"Oh, yes. Of course it is." He smiled.

"Why are you doing this?" She then asked. Peter moved back towards her and held the mouthpiece close to her lips,

"I'm meassuring your brain activity." He said as Gen bit down on the mouthpiece that would help stop her from breaking her teeth. "That and...You once made a fool of me in front of everyone... consider us even after this. Plus, I'm going to make you a _real _soldier. So, I'm doing you a favor." Gen was silent, focusing on biting down on the mouthpiece. As soon as Peter gave the final nod, nothing could have prepared her for the pain that followed. She felt almost as if her skull was about to split in two. Thankfully it was over in less than a few minutes, giving her time to rest and as she closed her eyes, she saw something...

_Gen was fifteen at the oldest, her eyes locked onto a_ _window. It had been a few months since she had become just another one of WICKED's chew toys... and still her dad was nowhere to be found._

"_You still looking out the window?" Looking over her shoulder, her gaze fell onto Nik, who frowned, "Dad's not comin' back." _

"_I know." She replied lightly. _

"_Then stop staring out the window!" Nik cried. Shifting to her feet, in less than a few seconds she had her brother pinned against the wall, both hands clinging onto his collar. _

"_Just shut up." She hissed before letting him go. _

"_What's wrong with you? Dad's gone. Don't you get that?" Nik asked, pushing himself from the wall. _

"_Yeah well, he's always 'gone' and then seems to miraculously reappear. He'll be back." Gen told him. Nik rolled his eyes, _

"_How many more times are you gonna let the guards hurt you because you can't keep your mouth shut. Or... Or because you don't want to follow the rules." Nik asked. Gen gritted her teeth, _

"_If dad were here, you think he'd let these assholes run the show? Dad always said not to trust anyone without his say so" _

"_Dad's _not _here!" Nik cried once more, "Are you that desperate for his approval? Is that what this is about?" He asked. Gen said nothing, her eyes locked onto his, "I mean is that why you're cutting yourself off from everyone? From me? From mum? Cause you're just followin' dad's orders like a good little soldier. You know that's what they call you don't you? The Little Soldier, always followin' an absent father's orders." _

"_What do you want me to do?" _

"_I want you to take some responsibility for yourself, Gen!" Nik cried. An eerie silence filled the room before Nik gave out a sigh and turned on his heel to storm out of the room and slam the door behind him. _

Opening her eyes, Gen groaned, she felt as though every bone in her body was broken,

"Having fun yet?" Peter asked with a sneer. "This is all happening for a reason... I can assure you. I'm not doing this for fun... Tortures really annoying. I can't stand it to be completely honest with you... but Janson has suggested that's the only way to deal with you so... who am I to disagree with him?" Gen was too exhausted to reply and as Peter nodded his head again, the pain returned and her eyes closed once more...

_A few more months had passed and Gen was sitting in front of Janson, for what seemed like the_ _hundredth__ time, _"_John says that you broke his nose." Janson said, his eyes fixated onto Gen who shrugged her shoulder, wearing a smug look,_

"_Son of a bitch had it coming." She said simply. Janson clicked his tongue, _

"_I see... John also said that you and the boy, Newt have formed a friendship." He noted. Gen ignored his statement, simply crossing her arms over her chest. "The Little Soldier strikes again." He smirked. Gen gritted her teeth, he only ever called her that to get a rise out of her, one that she couldn't help but let slip. _

"_Call me that again and I'm going to kill you, your children and your grandchildren." She growled, earning a chuckle from the older man. _

"_Tell me why you attacked my guard, Genevieve." Janson said seriously. Gen shrugged, _

"_He wants to try and hurt my brother, he's gotta go through me. That's how it's always been." _

"_How cute. The sister protecting the brother." Janson mocked, "You can still hear it, can't you?" Gen scoffed, _

"_Hear what?" _

"_Your father's voice in your head... telling you what to do. How to think. That's why you look out for Nikola, isn't it? Daddy told you to do it so you have to." _

"_Shut up! You don't know anything about my father!" She cried, "I don't even know if father's the right word to call that man. I did everything he asked me to. Everything and he still left us behind!" She cried. "I look out for Nik because it's more than just a stupid job! He was never the one that made sure Nik did his homework. He never made sure Nik was okay when he was crying. He was never there. It was always me! I was the one that was there for Nik. Not him!" Janson gave out a laugh as the tears started to roll down Gen's cheeks, _

"_Your dad knew who you were... a good little soldier who doesn't ask questions. Nikola was always the favourite. Why else would he put you through the things he did and not his son?" _

Feeling blood run down her nose, Gen wanted to move her hand up to wipe the blood away but remembered that she was restrained. Her vision had started to blur and Peter had become no more than a blur. "One more time." Gen heard Peter say.

"One more time? I don't think she can take it."

"She can." Peter replied to the man. "She's been through this before. One more time." As the skull-splitting pain erupted once again, Gen surely thought she was going to die.

_Hearing a knock on the door, Gen turned around to see her mother walk through the door followed by Newt. He was Peter's other subject and the one person her mother was convinced could possibly be her friend. Gen had to admit, the kid wasn't that bad, he was maybe a little too nice and naïve about how the world worked, but he seemed alright. _

"_I'll leave you two alone. Let me know if things get... out of hand." Lexi said, looking particularly at Gen. _

"_Don't worry mum, I'll be sure to let you know if I start beating him up." Gen smiled sarcastically, causing Lexi to flash her an amused smile. Unlike the others that entered her room, Lexi wasn't intimidated by her... which was understandable. As Lexi moved out of the room and shut the door, Newt moved towards where Gen was sitting on top of her bed, _

"_Hello." He greeted softly. "I heard you punched John in the bloody nose." He added with a smirk, as he drew closer to her, his smirk faded, "Did John do this to you?" He asked, outstretching his hand and brushing his fingertips against the bruise on the left side of her face. _

"_Probably deserved it. I did punch him in the nose." She replied. Newt smiled, sitting down next to her, _

"_I don't think so. You were just protecting your brother." Newt muttered. _

"_Janson doesn't care what my reason was. He just thinks I'm trying to follow in my dad's footsteps." She smirked. _

"_What was your dad like?" Newt asked, Gen shot her head up to look at him with a slight frown, _

"_You've never asked about my dad before." _

"_Never been bloody brave enough till now." Newt chuckled. Gen smiled softly, _

"_Well, let's just say I'm an expert on deadbeat dad's... how's that for an explanation on what he was like?" She asked, after Newt raised an eyebrow at her, she sighed, "Fine. He was... pretty much my hero I guess... but when everything went to hell, we ended up here and dad... he just... he left us behind. I'll never forgive him for it." There was another moment of silence before Newt spoke, _

"_I'm sorry about that." He murmured. _

"_So... what made you brave enough to ask me now, huh?" Gen smirked, desperate for a change of topic. Newt shrugged, _

"_I.. worked out why I kept on coming back." He said. _

"_Why's that?" Gen asked. Without a word, Newt leant forward, pressing his lips lightly against hers... _

"Open your eyes!" Peter snapped, slamming his palms either side of the metal chair and causing her eyes to shoot open. She could feel the blood running underneath her chin and was grateful when Peter pulled the mouthpiece out of her mouth, allowing her to try and suck in as much air as possible. "How are you feeling, dear?" He asked. Gen tried to tell him to 'Go to Hell' but was unable to speak. "I'm going to take that as a not too well." Peter mocked. "Hm... you know what, I think I've worked out what you are.." He began as Gen allowed her head to fall back, "Damaged goods." Forcing her head back up, Gen gave a small smile, her eyes locked onto his before she swallowed,

"Takes one to know one."

**A/N: So this mainly gave an insight into Gen's dad and such and also how Gen and Newt first got together I suppose. :) Hope you all enjoyed it. Also, just so you guys kinda have a mental image of what the OC's look like. Here's a cast:  
Gen: Crystal Reed (Allison Argent from Teen Wolf)  
Peter: Michael Fassbender (Azazeal from Hex)****  
Nik: Drew Roy (Hal Mason from Falling Skies)**

**Don't think I forgot anyone. But, yeah. Just so you guys know, any new characters that are introduced (Should be one more then that's it. But, the new guy is important. When he comes in that is. Or well, he's more important for the Death Cure. :P) I'll make sure to put a cast thingy so it's easier to picture what they look like. **


	14. Hands Gushing Red

As the minutes and hours went by, Gen found her will to survive fading in between the electric shocks and the occasional beatings she received for speaking inappropriately. She found that the only thing that seemed to get her through was Nik. In between his own electric shock therapy sessions and beatings, he was the one that kept her going, reminded her why she was still alive. Who it was that she was going to see when everything was all over.

"Minho..." Gen whispered to herself. She had tried her hardest not to think of Minho and instead focus on the good she was doing: Saving Newt. Staring at the wall across from her, Gen tried her best to appreciate the silence that surrounded her. From what she could tell, her left cheek was bruised and swollen and if she concentrated, she could still hear the high pitched ringing in her ears from the so called 'therapy' that was supposed to give them some of their memories as well as allow Derek and Peter to study their brains. Derek had once again taken Nik away and no matter how many times she tried to call out to him in her mind, Gen couldn't reach him. In many ways, she understood how Thomas felt when he had tried to reach out to Teresa, only to hear the defening silence that made her stomach turn and hope that Nik would return alive. Hearing the door being pushed open, Gen didn't even flinch as Peter moved into the room and as usual, she greeted him with a smile,

"Hello Peter."

"Hello Genevieve." He replied in the same, deadpanned tone of voice he always used. He wanted her to break. He wanted to break her spirit and make her into the 'perfect' soldier. But, Gen would never allow herself to succumb to Peter and his wishes, she would rather die than allow him to win.

"I have something special for you today." He smiled,

"I was looking forward to the therapy session." Gen pouted. Peter was silent, moving towards her and grabbing her wrist as he always did and pulling her up and leading her out of the door. As always, she didn't fight him and instead, practised her marvellous act. The one where she was anything other than the pathetic 'Little Soldier' who just wanted everything to be over. Passing the regular corridor they usually moved down, Gen could hear Nik's faint cries and felt her stomach turn. She understood why she was being punished, she never followed the rules and caused trouble, just like in the Glade. Only this time, there wasn't any Slammer she could just be thrown into. Leading her down a couple flights of stairs, Gen was growing more and more curious about where it was they were going. Stopping in front of a bolted door, Peter pulled a set of keys from his pocket and started to unlock the several locks on the door before it opened. Leading her inside, Gen's eyes widened, inside of the cement room that reminded her of a basement stood a metal cage that held a blistered looking man that tried to claw his way out of the cage, a wild look in his eye. It was a Crank. She had remembered seeing one for the first time back when she was with Minho, Newt and the others. Looking to Peter, she noticed that he ignore her gaze, leaving her no choice but to voice her concern,

"Why is there a Crank here?" She asked.

"Well, for one I am glad you're aware of what this _thing _is." Peter said, still not looking at her, "In the Scorch there are plenty of these monsters." He said, "I will not allow my work to go to waste with your death. So, it's time to train you." He said.

"Will Nik be doing this?" She asked. Peter laughed,

"That boy wouldn't be able to hurt a fly." He scoffed, "This is something for you. You see, it doesn't matter if you get blood on your hands... you're a soldier." He smirked.

"What do you mean get blood on my hands?" She asked, already partly knowing the answer, yet still she had to ask. Peter smiled, handing her a long blade that he picked up off of the table,

"I want you to kill it... before it kills you." He explained. Gen looked at him wide eyed,

"I can't kill another person." She exclaimed.

"This isn't a person. Crank's are not people, they're monsters." He told her, "I assure you, one day you'll have to kill one, whether it be a stranger or... someone you know." His words lingered in the air around them before he once again held it out to her, "Take it." Looking at the blade in his hand, Gen hesitantly took a hold of the handle and examined the blade, feeling the weight of it in her hand. Watching Peter move towards the cage door, she had no choice but to follow, trying so desperately to remember her act that she practised every day. Before she knew it, Peter shoved her inside of the cage and slammed it shut, drawing the eye of the Crank. The Crank... no, the man was in his late forties with black hair and eyes that had turned yellow and seemed to be glazed over. He looked scruffy and almost as if he was attacked by a wild animal. But, he was still human. She could feel her hands shaking as she clung to the weapon in her hands. The Crank gave no sign that he recognised her as another human being, instead he looked at her like she was the enemy, or even a meal.

"Stay back. Can you hear me?" She called to the crazed man who tilted his head, before rushing at her. Darting out of the way, Gen watched as the man hit the bars, from the corner of her eye, she noticed that Peter was silent, his expression serious as he watched the entertainment. Pushing himself away from the bars, The Crank lunged after her once more and rather than hitting the bars as she darted to the side, he caught onto her shoulder and brought her to the ground with him. Trying to kick the man off of her, Gen pushed against his shoulders as the man pinned her down. He was screaming at her and was trying to bring his head down to take a bite out of her. "Get off of me!" Gen screamed trying to push him away, she still held the blade in her hands, but she would not use it on the man, she was stronger than that. She could push him off, she knew she could. "Get off!" Gen cried once more, using what was left of her strength to once again try to push the thrashing man off of her. But, she couldn't, she wasn't strong enough. Feeling her heart pound in her head, she had no other choice. Driving the blade into the side of the Crank's neck, Gen watched as he stopped screaming altogether and as Gen pushed him off of her, she scrambled backwards, watching as the man drew his last breath and life left his body. She had killed him. Allowing her eyes to fall to her hands, she watched as the blade fell from her blood covered hands. She knew that no matter how much she scrubbed her hands, they would never be clean again. Looking towards Peter, she found that he was standing, slowly applauding her,

"Next time, you will show no hesitation." He told her. Gen wanted to break, she wanted to cry and scream. But, she couldn't, she wouldn't. Hearing the door swing open, Peter seemed just as surprised as Gen was when a woman with dark hair moved into the room, a look of fury on her face,

"What are you doing down here?" Peter asked in a cool tone. Gen knew the woman, she had seen her before and as she crawled towards the bars, her stomach once again turned as the woman spoke.

"I came for my daughter." She snapped, pushing past Peter and moving towards Gen who, as her mother opened the cage, sat frozen. She was a stranger and more than likely one of Peter's tricks. But, no matter how hard she tried to convince herself that trusting anyone other than Nik would result in more pain for her; she couldn't help but immediately trust the woman-her mother. Peter was silent and not a word of protest escaped his lips as Gen and Nik's mother knelt down in front of her and without a word, pulled her close and embraced her. "I'm here." She soothed, one hand placed securely on the back of her head and the other wrapped around her shoulder blades. Although Gen didn't remember her, she felt safe in the woman's arms. It was an unfamiliar feeling and almost seemed deceiving.

"Lexi." Peter snapped, "I am trying to teach her a lesson."

"In the worst way possible?" She retorted, pulling away from the still frozen Gen and looking towards Peter, who averted his eyes. Still with her arm wrapped around her shoulders, Lexi carefully helped her to her feet and started to walk her away from the man she had murdered and out of the cage.

"Where are you taking her?" Peter snapped,

"I want to spend some time with my children and if you want to stop me, you best shoot me." Lexi spoke calmly and even with a small smile. In that moment, Gen found her strength. She wanted to be able to look into the Devil's face and smile... just like her mother. Not stopping as they moved past Peter, Lexi didn't shift her gaze from the door, not even to make sure Peter didn't make a move against her. But, as Gen looked over her shoulder at him, she found that he was still. He simply watched as Lexi lead her daughter out of the hell she had grown used to.

**A/N: Well, now Gen and Lexi can have a chat :3 Also, I forgot about Lexi when I did the cast... Lexi: Rhona Mitra.  
And were I better at editing/photoshop. I would probably make manips and stuff of everyone together and then give you guys a link. But, alas... I'm not :( I might give it a shot though... it just might suck is all. :P Love you guys!**


	15. The Meaning of Family

Gen was silent, simply watching her mother who used a damp cloth to clean the blood off of her trembling hands. She was sitting on a wooden chair in a small room that looked and smelt like another torture chamber.

"Why'd you do that?" Gen asked weakly. Lexi looked up at her from where she was kneeling in front of her, with a small smile. She was beautiful and Gen could see quite a lot of Nik in her.

"Do what?"

"Stand up to Peter like that." She murmured. Lexi's smile faded slightly as she looked back down at Gen's hands,

"You don't know me like you used to. But, you're still my child whether you remember that or not." She explained, "You and your brother."

"Then why are you here? Do you work here?" Gen then asked, looking down at her white coat. Lexi bit her lip, rising and moving towards the sink to rinse the cloth,

"I do." She replied. Gen continued to watch her,

"Why? Why did you do this to me?" She asked. Lexi looked over her shoulder at her,

"I didn't have a choice. I would explain but, it's a very long story." She smiled weakly, "But, I promise you, I never wanted you to live this life." There was a hint of sadness in her tone as she spoke.

"Yeah well, it doesn't matter anymore." She shrugged, "I'll be outta here soon and back into whatever other trials you and Peter have up your sleeves." She said simply,

"Is that why you're doing this?" She asked, "I wondered what they said to convince you to leave... Was it... Newt?" She asked, turning to face her completely. Gen's eyes narrowed,

"How'd you know that?" She asked, "And, besides... if they threatened anyone else, I would've done the same thing." She said quickly. Lexi smiled softly,

"But, they didn't use someone else. They used Newt." She said. Gen shrugged,

"So what? What does that have to do with anything?" Gen asked.

"I know that you remember your connection with him. How close you were. I'm just... happy to see that there's some part of the old you still there." She smiled. "You protect people, just like your father did." She smiled. Gen laughed,

"Oh? You mean the deadbeat father that left us here to die?" She asked sarcastically, "Yeah, that's another thing I remember." She added. Lexi's gaze dropped from Gen's as she moved forward and placed the cloth against her cheek. Gen bit her tongue, she hadn't meant to snap at her mother, the one who had saved her from Peter for a short while. But, Gen was scared, she was confused and she wanted to go back to the Gladers. "I'm sorry." Gen forced out, "I didn't mean to say that. I just... I've never been this scared before." She explained, "I just... nothing makes sense anymore. I have family... or at least, you and Nik are supposed to be family, but you don't feel like family. Just feels like-"

"A couple of strangers who happen to look similar to you?" She asked, her gaze meeting Gen's.

"Yeah." She nodded, "Just a little weird that I feel responsible for a complete stranger." She said, referring to Nik. Pulling her hand back, Lexi once again returned to the sink,

"I'm not going to let Peter or Derek hurt either of you two. But, there's only so much I can do before-"

"We don't need your help." Gen said, cutting her off, "There's no use you getting hurt because of us." Gen said, her eyes locked down onto her hands that still seemed dirty.

"Like I said, you're my children and if you think you have a choice on the matter you're mistaken." She explained. Gen rose from the chair and moved towards her,

"But, if you get hurt, that's gonna be on _me_." She argued, "I mean, how do you think I'm going to feel if you get hurt because of me?" She asked, "You want to help Nik, go for it. But, leave me alone. Don't interfere..." She begged, "I can look after myself." Lexi was silent, but gave a reluctant nod,

"I should return you to your cell." She said, once again wrapping her arm around Gen's shoulders and leading her out of the room.

Gen didn't bother trying to make small talk with Lexi as she lead her back to her cell, she was still trying to deal with the fact that she had just reunited with her mother. The same mother she thought she would never remember, never see again and now that they had been reunited, Gen felt just as empty and alone as she did believing she was dead and gone. Not because she didn't remember her, but because Gen knew that she wasn't her family anymore, the Glader's were. They were the one's that knew her, that cared for her. They were her real family. For all Gen knew, Lexi could be working with Peter and Nik... Gen's brow furrowed, she wanted to believe he was just like her, scared and confused and wanting to return to his family. She seemed to care about Nik more than she should, considering she didn't really know him. But, since she receive some of her memories back about him, about her willingness to be punished by Rat-Man because someone tried to hurt him. In many ways, she felt the same way and were she given the chance, she'd make Derek and whoever else that hurt Nik pay for what they had done. As the reached the final corridor that lead to her cell, Lexi stopped and in her place, a guard grabbed onto her wrist and tugged her back to the room, giving her no chance to say goodbye and as the door swung open and she was pushed into the room; the first thing Gen did was move towards the battered ad bruised Nik who smiled weakly at her return and wrapped her arms around him. From what she had seen of her memories, she didn't want to remember anything else. But, she was certain that she wanted to have Nik in her life, just as he was before.


	16. Just Once More

The rain continued to pelt down and Minho found himself watching the rain, more staring at it. He secretly hoped Gen would come running through the storm and into his arms, but the likelihood of that happening was slim to none. Wincing, Minho didn't dare look at the burns that covered his skin, the smell was bad enough- he couldn't imagine what they looked like. He imagined Gen, were she with him, would have stayed up with him, but she wasn't with him and she'd never be again. "Gen..." Whispering her name to himself, it seemed almost fake. It was the first time in four days that he had heard her name and were Newt or Thomas to hear him speak it, he'd be the laughing stock of the entire Glade. But, he had his reasons for tabooing her name. She _left _them. She left _him_. Inhaling through his node, Minho looked around at thee Glader's that all slept. Eleven. They had Eleven Glader's left. That wasn't nearly enough Glader's to fight against the Crank City. Allowing his gaze to fall onto Thomas and Newt, his brow furrowed. He had to admit, he found himself trusting the pair more and more as the days went by. It seemed that within all the chaos, Minho, Newt and Thomas had formed a bond. However, the new boy, Aris, Minho didn't trust at all. Whether or not that was because he didn't know him, or because he could talk to Thomas inside of his head, Minho wasn't sure yet. Perhaps it was both. The point was that Minho didn't trust him and he knew all too well that the boy felt the exact same away about him.

"Minho? What are you doing awake?" Minho _nearly _rolled his eyes at the sound of Clint who moved beside him. The boy hadn't given up on his job as a Med-Jack and was more stubborn than before about the Glader's and their endless array of wounds. Minho didn't reply to the boy, instead he merely watched out of the broken windows. If Gen was around, she would have- closing his eyes tightly, Minho grit his teeth. He had to stop thinking about her. She was more than likely just... gone. Or maybe she was even dead? Death seemed like a far more pleasant thought than betrayal. As Minho shifted his body, he could help but wince as a burning pain attacked his nerves. "Minho? You alright?" Opening his eyes once more, Minho focused back onto the window, he didn't want to talk. Talk required effort. He just wanted _her _back. As his eyes dropped from the window and onto his lap, he bit his lip,

"Do you..." He wanted to speak louder, to be the leader he was supposed to be. But, as he spoke, his words came as no more than a whisper, "Do you think she's alive?" He asked, not looking at the boy who watched him carefully.

"Who?" When Minho didn't reply, Clint spoke once more, "Right... _her._" Clint was careful not to use her name and instead, gave out a sigh. "She... She might be. Maybe she'll come back." He said. Minho shook his head, Clint was proving to be completely and utterly useless in trying to cheer Minho up. All he seemed to be doing was pissing him off even more than he already was. "Minho? Are you alright?" Clint asked once more, forcing Minho to give Clint his attention.

"What do you mean? I was on _fire, _Clint?" Minho scoffed, trying to pretend he didn't know what Clint was really talking about.

"No, I mean, are you okay... like... mood wise. As in... Gen wise." As soon as her name reached his ears, Minho stiffened. He didn't like hearing her name spoken by anyone else.

"Don't say her name." Minho warned. Clint had already received a well-deserved punch back in the dark corridor that entered the Scorch through after trying to reason with him and just because Minho was injured didn't mean that he wouldn't punch him again.

"I just think you need to come to terms with the fact that G-She isn't around anymore." Clint explained softly, trying to make sure that he wouldn't wake the others.

"Oh, I have. Pretty obvious she isn't around, also pretty obvious why she isn't. Maybe you should go talk to Newt and Thomas. They seem pretty convinced she'll come back. Maybe they're the ones who need to come to terms. _Not _me." He hissed.

"That's because she more than likely _will _come back. This is Rat-Man's trick. He's the one behind all this, so why don't you shift you anger towards him and not... her."

"Trust me, Clint. The moment I see him again I'm gonna beat his head in." Minho growled. Clint's brow furrowed,

"I guess that's a little better..." His words trailed off and Minho hoped that would be the end of the conversation altogether. Slowly laying back, Minho placed both of his hands on his chest and hoped that were he even able to sleep, he'd see her face... just once more...


	17. Evil That Exists in Stories

Four days had passed and by now the Glader's would be well on their way through the second trial and probably under the impression Gen was dead. But, Gen often found herself wondering whether or not the trials were as traumatising as the things she had been forced to do. She also wondered whether or not when she returned to them, they'd be the same boys that she left behind. Running her tongue over the cut that had successfully busted her lip, Gen grimaced, the beatings and the electric shock therapy had stopped, whether or not that was thanks to her mother or not, she had no idea. While that had ceased, Peter focused on training her in the art of murder until her hands gushed red and she no longer hesitated. It was what Peter wanted, but Gen told herself that he still hadn't broken her, that she was killing the Cranks as a way to protect her friends and her brother. At the thought of her brother, she smiled softly to herself, she trusted him with her life and the more time she spent with him, the more she thought he and Newt would get along. The pair were both kind hearted showed more strength of character than both she and Minho combined and Gen had to admire the spark in his eyes whenever she mentioned the girl he loved. Nik had promised her that when they returned, he would introduce her to Sonya and prove it her just how great she was. But, that was if they were going to ever see them again, for all they knew, Sonya, Teresa, Newt and Minho could all have died within the trials.

Making eye-contact with Peter who sat at a wooden desk across form her, Gen didn't speak, it was almost over, only one more day and everything would be over. One more day and she would be reunited with her friends.

"Hello Genevieve." Peter greeted, pulling out a gun and pointing it at her, Gen's eyes widened, but she attempted to remain calm.

"Well, go ahead. Kill me." She said simply, her eyes shifting between the gun and Peter. It made sense when she thought about it. She was nothing special, just a variable.

"Kill you?" Peter questioned, "Now, don't you think that'd be a little... overboard?" He asked, wearing a mocking smile, "I just have this as a little... extra protection." He grinned, placing it down on the desk before leaning forward. "You don't have to be afraid of me, sweetheart." He said, "I've helped you become stronger." He told her. Gen smirked,

"By killing Cranks?" She scoffed,

"Yes." Peter nodded, "What do you think the Scorch is? The place is run by Cranks and when you are placed inside of the Scorch, it will only be you and your brother. No one else will be there to protect you." He smirked, "They're monster's you know."

"Just like you." Gen smiled, "Actually, the only difference between you and a Crank is the size of your ego." She smiled, "And all you've done is just prepare me for when I drive a blade into your chest." Peter gave out a sigh,

"You know, when I look at you... I see myself." He told her, "I never did when all this first began, but as all of this has panned out, I've learnt that you and I are one in the same."

"No." Gen snapped, "We are nothing alike."

"We're both hungry for power. We both protect those whom we hold close to us. We both would gladly die for them. How are we not alike? You murdered those Cranks all to keep your friends safe and I have done to you unimaginable things, all to save the one person I love. Your mother." He confessed, his brow furrowing as he spoke. Gen scoffed,

"Don't give me your sob story now, my stomach's nearly out of bile." She snapped. "Now, just hurry up and return me and my brother to our friends." She growled

"Are you sure your friends would like to see what you've become?" Peter asked smugly, trailing his fingers over the gun on the desk, "The monster you've become?" Gen was silent, "You know, we tried the same thing with Nikola. We tried to have him kill a Crank, but he wouldn't do it, he would have rather died than take the life of another human being. No matter how twisted that person had become."

"Shut up." Gen hissed, "I watched Minho throw a spear into Gally's chest without so much as blinking. You can't make me feel guilty for my actions, my actions are mine alone and you do not have the right to try and tempt me into guilt." She said in a matter-of-factly tone of voice.

"But, you spilled blood under my command. Which means... I win." he smiled, tilting his head as he watched her. Gen swallowed,

"You're wrong."

"I'm wrong? Tell me, sweetheart. What are you scared of? Losing? Or losing your friends?" Gen didn't respond, instead averting her eyes from his. "You still think things are going to get better, don't you? Well, let me tell you something. The world outside of these walls? Is filled with cruelty and hate." He spoke, his tone filled with venom. Gen smirked,

"Once again, you're wrong." She smiled. Peter shrugged his shoulders,

"In that case, I think I have something I would like to show you. You and your brother both." Peter said,

"Yeah? And what's that?" She asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"There is a city named Denver. It's got quite a lot of good people, sure. But, underneath all of that, it is still filled with the very evil you so childishly still think is only found in stories." Peter said. Gen's smile widened,

"Prove it."

**A/N: I swear this has purpose. I swear it. There is a reason they're going to Denver. I swear, please be nice :3 **


	18. Matías Alvares

Denver was huge, like nothing Gen had ever seen before. She and Nik had been ushered onto a burg that was owned by WICKED and shipped off to the city that was filled with security, making Gen wonder how a so called 'Crime Lord' would be able to operate in the city. Moving into a large building, Gen was greeted by the scent of alcohol and cigarette smoke, that immediately crushed any thoughts she had about Peter merely bluffing. As she got used to the scent, she was forced to avert her eyes from the women that moved around the room with very little clothing on,

"Why are we here?" Gen spat, her eyes locked onto the back on Peter's head.

"What did I say about talking?" Peter hissed, not looking back at her as he spoke, "As for where we are? Welcome to the real world, sweetheart." Although she couldn't see, Gen was positive he wore a smug expression. She knew very well where they were, a dance club that specialised in women stripping off their clothes. What she had asked was 'why' they were in a strip club, however Peter gave no sign that he was going to tell her. Looking over her shoulder at Nik, she noticed that his eyes wondered over the club and behind the purple bruises that covered his pale face, she noticed he had gone red. As the pair reached a man in black that had his arms crossed, Peter stopped in front of him, giving Gen and Nik no other choice but to also stop.

"What do you want, Greyson?" The man spat. Peter shrugged his shoulders,

"I'm here to see Matías Alvares. Is he in?" Peter asked with a higher amount of smugness in his tone than usual. As the guard's gaze shifted behind Peter and onto Gen, the corners of his lips shifted upward to form a small, sly smile.

"Mr. Alvares will be interested in your business with him, I am sure." He smiled, "Right this way." As the guard turned on his heel and moved down a corridor, Peter looked over his shoulder at Gen and Nik and smirked. He was planning something that would end horribly for both Gen and her brother, who exchanged looks. Peter was determined to break them and so far, they had proved to be stronger than he expected. Looking back ahead of him, he wasted no time in following the guard towards a red door at the end of the corridor. As the door was opened and the three of them were ushered into the neatly decorated room, Gen's eyes fell onto a man in his early thirties, thirty-five at the oldest with short, curly brown hair, pale skin and dark eyes. Gen had to admit, she was disappointed and even more so when he jumped at their presence.

"M-Mr. Greyson." The man she assumed to be Matías Alvares stammered as Peter, Nik and Gen moved into the room.

"This is your so called lesson?" Gen smirked, looking from the dark haired man to Peter who smirked, "This is Matías Alvares?" She asked, causing Peter to laugh.

"This is who you think Matías Alvares is? Please. This is just the dirtbag who owns the club." Swallowing, the man held his hands up,

"Mr. Alvares isn't in at the moment." He once again stammered, "I don't know what business you wish to have with him, but he is not in the best mood at the moment, especially when it comes to WICKED." The unknown man said. Peter shrugged his shoulders,

"This is about his brother, I take it?" Peter questioned. "Why does he even care? He hates Jorge."

"Precisely. Which is why he's angry with you and WICKED. He wished to kill his brother and seeing as how you threw him into the Scorch, he's... unable to do that."

"Well, Mr. Stewart, let's just say I'm here to apologise. Now, where is he?" Peter was growing impatient. That much Gen was certain about.

'_This is a bad idea...' _Nik's voice greeted her inside her head. '_This guy sounds like trouble.' _

_'I know. Peter is trying to prove a point.' _

_'And... what is that exactly.' _

_'That we're weaker than him I would imagine.' _

_'That's stupid.' _Gen could help but smirk at Nik's comment,

_'That's just Peter I believe.' _

"He said he had business to take care of. He should be back soon." The so called Mr. Stewart said, looking around at both Gen and Nik, "You were stupid to bring your family here." He scowled,

"These brats are not my family. I can assure you that. You see, I'm here to prove a point and our dear friend Matías is exactly that point I'm planning on proving." Peter stated.

'_I told you.' _Gen said to Nik telepathically, looking to him, she saw the corners of his mouth curl upward into a small smirk. Gen for one, wasn't afraid of Peter, or Matías Alveras. It would only be a few more hours before she would see Minho, Newt and Thomas once more and Nik would be reunited with Sonya.

"I hate to say it Mr. Greyson." Mr. Stewart began, "But, you're going to need more than that to satisfy Matías and avoid wasting his time." He said, his gaze shifting from Peter and onto Gen and Nik, "Just what kind of point are you trying to prove?" He asked.

_'If he looks at us like that one more time, I'm going to punch him in the throat.' _

_'I don't like this, Gen. Something seems off about all of this.'_

_"W_ell, I like to think that Matías and I are friends." Peter shrugged, "And, well... I thought he'd enjoy meeting the children of the late Andrew Sawyer." As her father's name reached the man's ears, his eyes widened. Opening his mouth to speak, he was quickly cut off by the sound of the door swinging open. Jumping, Gen and Nik both spun on their heels to address the men that moved silently into the room, holding guns. All of the extremely hostile and dangerous looking men were covered in a mixture of dirt, sweat and blood and much like the Cranks Gen had murdered, they all wore tattered and dirty looking clothing. There were at least ten men that moved into the room with blank expressions before Gen noticed the last man who held no weapon and merely pushed the others aside as he bursted into the room with an intense look of frustration on his surprisingly handsome face. Without a doubt, the man was Matías Alveras. He was not what she expected, but without a doubt, it was him. Looking him up and down, Gen swallowed, he was rather young looking, perhaps in his early twenties. Like the other men he looked filthy, more than likely from whatever business he had to take care of. He had short, dark brown hair that stuck upwards with olive skin and dark eyes. His attire was strange, even to Gen. Matías wore a set of long, black pants that were held up by a thick black belt with a long blade that hung to the right from his belt with a long, faded jacket that reached the back of his knees and was left open, revealing his shirtless, scar covered torso. In some ways, Gen had to admit that the man was rather handsome, but the look in his eye that her that he was much more than just trouble. As he stopped a few feet away from them, a small smile crept onto his lips,

"Peter." He greeted. Returning the same smile, Peter moved forward to greet him,

"Hello Matías."

**A/N: For appearance referrence,**** Matías looks like Luke Pasqualino from Snowpiercer. Okay movie, but good actor. Also, he is a very important character. So, remember him ;) **


	19. A Game of Chance

As Peter moved forward and held out his hand towards Matías, Gen almost smiled when Matías shoved him back and away from him, "You have got a lot of nerve showing up here, hermano."

"Yes, well. Figured you'd want word on your brother." He shrugged. Matías frowned,

"Jorge? You think I care about what he does? And who are they, hermano?" He grinned, his gaze flicking between Nik and Gen.

"Subjects." He answered, "Genevieve and Nikola." Pushing past Peter, Matías moved firstly around Nikola, a slight frown on his face,

"You wouldn't bring 'subjects' around. Who are they really?" He asked, his gaze still locked onto Nik who seemed to be holding his breath.

"Hm. Can't get anything past you can I?" Peter smirked, causing Matías to look at him, "That Andrew Saywer's son and daughter." Within the blink of an eye, Matías's expression turned to rage and he quickly grabbed Nik by the shoulder and threw him into the wall before withdrawing his blade and pressing it against his throat; ready for the kill.

"Don't touch him!" Gen cried, trying to move towards the man, only to be held back by two guards that sneered at her attempts to move towards Nik. "If you hurt him, I'll kill you. I swear to god I'll kill you all!" Gen stopped her cries as Matías drew the blade back and instead moved towards her. Out of the corner of Gen's eye, she could see Peter smile, which only caused her blood to boil.

"Someone restrain the boy." He mumbled to a pair of guards that did as he asked, before Matías looked over his shoulder at Peter who leant back against the desk, beside the terrified Mr. Stewart. "This is Andrew Sawyer's daughter?" He questioned. As Peter gave him a nod, he turned his attention back towards her.

"We call her the Little Soldier. I figured you'd be more interested in getting your revenge through her than the boy. She's more like him."

"Soldadito? That's what they call you?" Matías asked, picking up a strand of her matted hair and feeling the texture between his fingers. "You've got fire. I like that, I do. But, fire is what gets people killed. Tell me, soldadito... Do you know who I am?"

"Some slinthead with delusions of grandeur?" She guessed. As expected, one of the guards that had restrained her moved in front of her and without a word smacked her across the face as hard as he possibly could, causing Gen to give out a cry.

"Hey! Don't touch her!" Gen heard Nik cry and as she brought her face back up to look at Matías, she didn't dare look at Nik, who fought tirelessly against the two men... all the while Peter was sitting at the desk, smoking a cigar with an amused expression.

"Would you like to see your sister die?" Matías asked, looking over his shoulder at Nik who shook his head, "Good. Then be silent. If I hear so much as another word, I'm going to drive my blade into your trachea." Looking back to Gen, he ran the back of his hand down her cheek, tilting his head as he did so. "My name is Matías Alvares. Denver is my city."

"Are you immune to the Flare?" Gen asked, trying her best to ignore Matías as he continued to run his hand through her hair and down to her neck.

"Yes. Both my brother and I. These men you see around you? They're not so lucky. So, I am a very important man, you see I have something called 'Bliss' which slows down the Flare and I guess you could say, delays the inevitable. I smuggle it in through our friend Peter here and sell it to Denver for only three-quarters of the price." He said with a slight chuckle, "You don't understand how desperate these people are, they'll give me anything just for the tiniest bit of it. I've had men give me their daughters... sisters...whatever I want. I get." As his tone trailed off, Gen scoffed,

"You want me to be impressed or something? You sell some fake cure and in return you get to take advantage of innocent women and take hard earned money? You make me sick." She hissed,

"You have me all wrong, soldadito. They work for me until their debt is paid then they may return to their families. I don't touch them." He explained lightly. Shifting his hand back upward to her hair, Matías grabbed a handful of it and pulled her head backwards to look up at him. Wincing, Gen forced herself to hold eye-contact with him, "You will speak to me with respect." He hissed. Without thinking, Gen did something that should have had her shot right then and there; she spat in Matías's face. Letting her go almost immediately, he pulled a red handkerchief from his pocked and wiped his face as one of the guards place the gun to her temple, it's cool touch sending chills up her spine. She was a goner. But, instead of giving the order to have her killed, Matías laughed and turned to face Peter, who had not moved, "I like her, hermano." He said.

"I knew you would, friend." He replied with a sickly smile, "That's why I brought her. She's been... quite difficult, just your type. Just a shame not many people are as stupid as she is to pick a fight, huh?" He laughed, leaning back in the seat, "Plus, she's eighteen now."

"Since when am I eighteen?" Gen cried, trying to fight her way out of the guard's hold.

"Oh, right. It was your birthday a few days ago. But, don't worry, I celebrated on your behalf." He said with a wink.

"How much do you want?" Matías asked, causing the pair to fall silent.

"Excuse me?"

"You came here for business. This is business." He said, crossing his arms over his chest. Peter scoffed,

"You're joking. You think you're gonna get that brat to dance? Please." He growled, rising from Matías's chair and shifting around the desk to meet him,

"Who said anything about making her a dancer?" He asked, "I told you. I like her."

"Oh." Peter grinned, "Even better. However, she's unavailable at the moment. She is still... I guess you could say vital to the trials." He explained lightly. Gen bit her tongue, hoping that Peter could talk his way out of the mess he had thrown them in.

"You think you can disrespect me... here?" He asked, looking around at the guards that had gathered. "You are a simple man. You crave wealth over anything else and wealth is what I have." He said.

"She's all yours." Peter smiled, "After the trials."

"How can I trust you?" Matías asked.

"After everything I've done for you, you still don't trust me? I'm hurt." Matías didn't share Peter's amusement and continued to wear a serious expression.

"You will not be leaving this room until a deal is met." He said. Peter gritted his teeth,

"After the trials, Matías. You can pick her up yourself if you want."

"This is insane!" Gen finally forced out, "I'm not a bargaining chip!" She cried. Finally slipping from the guards hold, she bolted towards the door, but was stopped just as her fingertips brushed the doorknob. Being pulled back into the room, a larger guard slammed her head against the wooden desk before holding her against it. She felt her bottom lip tremble and a small whimper escaped her lips while her head pounded.

"That's what you get for trying to run, I guess." Peter mumbled.

"I think I'm going to need some guarantee that what I pay for is what I get." Matías said. From what Gen could hear, he clicked his fingers and one, maybe two of the guards moved from the room.

"So long as I get to walk out of here with my life and a subject to throw into the trials, I don't care what you do." He said.

"This is going to hurt, soldadito." Matías's voice told her. As she tried to push herself off of the desk, the grip that the guard had on the back of her neck tightened.

"You're insane. You can't brand someone!" Gen heard Nik say.

"What? Peter, you shuck. Stop this, you can't do this. I swear to god I'm going to kill you all." She cried, fighting against the guard's hold, from the corner of her eye she saw Matías holding a red hot branding iron.

"I don't get a say, he wants a guarantee, he gets a guarantee." Peter shrugged.

"Pull back her top." Matías commanded, "I think it would be much more suited on her shoulder blade." He said and without question, the guard that had her pinned pulled back her singlet, showing her right shoulder blade.

"Please. Don't. Matías, stop it. This is-" Before she could finish, Gen screamed. The pain was near unbearable as Matías pressed the iron against her skin. It seemed hours before Matías pulled the iron away from her and Gen was able to smell the burnt flesh that belonged to her. As her screams stopped, she did nothing as the tears rolled across the bridge of her nose and down the other side of her face.

"Hm, I think that's enough guarantee. Don't you, hermano?" Matías asked. Gen listened as Peter moved around to where Matías was standing.

"Clear as day." Peter murmured.

"Then our business is done. Get her up." Matías commanded. Being pulled up, Gen went limp in the guard's arms, she felt sweat running down her brow and as she locked her eyes onto Matías, she forced herself to stand and move towards him, placing both of her hands on his shoulders,

"Look at me." She breathed, "Look me in the eyes, cause the next time we meet I'm gonna be the one that kills you, you son of a bitch." She hissed, allowing her hands to slip from his shoulders. Matías smiled softly, placing his fingertips underneath her chin and lifting her head to once again look him in the eye,

"Is that what you want?" He grinned, "I look forward to our next meeting." He cooed, "Your father murdered my mother in cold blood. That..." He began, quickly grabbing both of her wrists and pulling her towards him to pull back her singlet once more, "Was payback." Allowing her to move back, he spoke once more, "But, now you belong to me. My new chew toy... But, don't be alarmed, I like you. I like your fire. So everything you see is yours. These men all answer to you, what is mine is yours. The only only person you'll answer to is me." Listening to him speak, it was enough to make her want to shoot herself. As Matías moved back, Gen felt herself fall backwards and into Nik's arms,

"I got you. You're fine." He soothed, scooping her into his arms. Gen's head fell back, the pain wasn't going away and the smell of her burnt flesh made her want to throw up. Closing her eyes, she saw Minho and Newt's faces before everything went black.


	20. Welcome to The Scorch

Nik had to concentrate on breathing as he carried his unconscious sister out of the building. He had only seen a glimpse of the 'branding' that would mark Genevieve's body until she died, but there would be no mistaking _who _had committed such a sick act against her, for the branding itself said 'M. Alvares'. Genevieve was no more than a bargaining chip and now that she 'belonged' to Matias Alvares, her fate was sealed. There was no happy ending for Genevieve, only another Hell. The only difference was that it would be one she would have to grow accustomed to. It was one she would never escape. Looking down at Genevieve's sweat covered face, Nik wanted to scream out in anger at the man that walked in front of him, wearing a mocking smile. Peter was the cause of every misfortune he and his sister had endured. Peter wanted them broken and he had succeeded quite early in breaking Nik... just not Genevieve.

_'You stupid moron.' _Nik tried to say, even though he knew he wouldn't receive a reply. '_Why couldn't you just let him win?' _

As Nik, Genevieve and Peter once again found themselves on the Berg that belonged to Peter, Nik didn't leave Genevieve's side as Peter's close employees rushed forward and took her from him. All whispering about Matias and his intentions. It wasn't hard to work out exactly what that monster's intentions were and as the whispers continued Nik felt his brow furrow,

"Everyone shut up!" He roared in a fleeting moment of bravery that quickly left him as the words did. As every head turned to address him, Nik wanted to sink into the walls, to disappear completely. But, surprisingly, none of them spoke and merely continued to tend to Genevieve's shoulder.

"Do you understand what happens when you try to beat me now?" Peter's voice greeted him, following by his hand clasping onto his shoulder, causing Nik to jump. As Nik met Peter's cold gaze, he gave a stiff nod,

"Are you really going to just give her over?" He asked, trying to remain just as calm and collected as Peter was. As the corner's of Peter's lips turned upward into a sly smile, Nik felt his stomach turn,

"Well... It's a little too late now, isn't it. Anyone who sees that mark will cease her and take her to Matias anyway." He said, "She takes a step inside of Denver again and every bounty hunter will be on her in a matter of minutes. She belongs to Matias now." He said, the smile on his face only broadening as he spoke. He was enjoying himself and that only made Nik hate him more than he already did. "My only concern..." Peter began, shifting his gaze towards where Genevieve was, surrounded by Peter's employees, "Is her. You see, these types of things can affect a person's psychological state of mind." Nik watched him carefully, being sure that he heard every word he spoke, "Basically, I suggest you stay... wary around her. Subjects who have been subjected to torture will generally form Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and when that happens... well... you better hope it's manageable." Nik wasn't even listening as Peter continued to speak. Whatever happened would happen and there was nothing he could do about it. But, there was no chance he was going to give up on her. Especially when she never gave up on him. Moving away from Peter, Nik moved towards the window and stared out,

"Where are we going?" He asked, his brow furrowing at the sight of the dilapidated buildings and the almost desert-like environment that surrounded it.

"To the Scorch of course." Peter said. Snapping his head around to look at him, Nik's eyes widened,

"Gen was just _branded_ by some psycho and you want to throw us in there _now_?" He exclaimed, pointing out the window at the harsh land below them.

"It's night, you'll be fine." Peter reassured, "It's the day time you wanna worry about." He smirked.

"Is this all a big joke to you?" Nik cried, "Is that what this is? Do you get some kind of thrill in being a complete asshole every second of the day?"

"Actually... yes." Peter confessed, "I quite enjoy ruining the lives of brats." He mocked. Staring at the man for only a few more seconds, Nik moved towards the crowd, attempting to peer over the many heads. Just as Nik got close enough to see only a glance of the bloodied rags that sat on a bolted down table, he nearly tripped over his own feet as the Berg began to descend.

"What's going on?"

"We're dropping you off, idiot." Peter called. The next few minutes were a blur as the back of the berg opened and Nik was tossed a couple of bags and his sister was placed in his arms, her back bandaged, with a capsule of pills that were placed in his pocket to supposedly help with the pain.

"Catcha later, kid!" Peter called as Nik stepped off of the berg, "Don't die." Holding Genevieve close to him, Nik watched as the Berg ascended and flew off towards where W.I.C.K.E.D's headquarters were. Looking around him, Nik was thankful that he spotted an old, rusty trolley. Taking a quick look around him, he moved towards the trolley and without even thinking, placed Genevieve into it along with the two bags. He had no idea what was in the bags and nor did he care. The only thing Nik had to concentrate on was finding shelter or better yet, Sonya and the others. Or even Minho and the rest of Genevieve's group. Pushing the trolley along the hard ground, Nik tried his best to block out the screech that seemed to echo around him. Were anyone around them that could pose a threat, he was certain that the screech from the trolley would draw them towards his location. Looking ahead of him, Nik's gaze fell onto a small shack.

"Hold on, sister. I at least think I've got us some shelter." Nik said, even though it was more to himself than her. Looking down at her face, Nik stopped pushing the trolley and instead, moved around it to look at her face. "Gen?" He questioned, moving his hands down to brush the hair from her face. As Nik's fingertips brushed against Gen's forehead, her eyes shot open and her hand swooped up to grab a tight hold onto his wrist. "Gen! Gen it's me! You're safe!... Kinda." He said, watching Gen as her expression softened and her breathing slowed.

"Where are we now?" She asked as her eyes closed once again.

"The Scorch. I found some shelter."

"Where's Matias?"

"Gone. So is Peter." Nik told her softly. "We're gonna find Minho now."

"Minho..." Gen whispered in reply before her body stilled once more. Nik was surprised she was able stay awake for as long as she did. But, Gen had also saved Nik's life back in Denver and even if it was the last thing he would do, he was going to get her back to Minho.


	21. A Long Journey

Allowing her eyes to open softly, Gen knew one of two things. The first was that the loud screeching sound that came from whatever she was being carted in was doing her head in. The second thing, and the most prominent thing was that the burning sensation in her shoulder blade had surpassed the painful stage and had become near unbearable. There were a few times where Gen was convinced the pain was so bad that she was going to be sick.

"Bout time you came to." Mumbled a familiar voice. As she found her focus on Nik, who looked down at her with a slight frown, Gen couldn't help but smile softly through the pain. Looking at his face, Gen figured that they were in the Scorch, which explained the intense heat and the ragged look that had become Nik. Personally, Gen was rather glad that she didn't get to say 'Goodbye' to Peter or Matias or even Lexi. Goodbye suggested that she would never see them again. But, Gen was 100% certain that they in fact _would _meet again and she would be able to show Peter just how strong and relentless the 'Little Soldier' really could be.

"How long have we been here?" Gen asked, her throat burning with thirst as she spoke.

"Nearly a day." Nik answered, "I found a cabin just before the sun rose and got some rest until sundown. I expected you to wake up, but you didn't." He explained before reaching into his pocket and tossing a capsule of pills into her lap, "This is supposed to help with the pain." He said. Allowing her hands to fall from either side of what Gen believed to be a random trolley, they slowly found their way to the capsule. As she brought her hands back up, Gen examined the bottle, noting the small logo that read "W.I.C.K.E.D"

"I refuse to take these." Gen spat bitterly, still clinging to the bottle. As the trolley came to a holt, Gen took the opportunity to sit upright, wincing as more pain shot through her shoulder and back.

"You don't get a choice. They're not poison. I tried one." Nik snapped, almost offended that she was suspicious of the pills. As her own brow furrowed, Gen quickly averted her gaze from Nik's bruised cheeks and cracked lips, he had spent a day pushing her around in a trolley, the least she could do was to trust his instinct. Popping open the cap, she pulled out a small, round, white pill and quickly popped it into her mouth. The taste was powdery and just plain awful, but Gen reluctantly swallowed and forced a smile, which Nik returned warmly,

"It was terrible, wasn't it?" He smirked, holding his hand out to help her out of the trolley, "We're heading into the city now, best not to draw too much attention to ourselves." He said. Gen stared at him, he was usually the one to be silent and follow her and yet, in the one place where leadership and courage meant the most, it was Gen who followed her little brother's lead. As soon as Gen placed her feet onto the hard, cracked ground, she felt her head spin and the nauseous feeling return as she gently moved her hand back to touch the scorched skin on her shoulder. Ignoring the pain, Gen allowed her fingers to gently brush over the wound and as she brought her fingers back to eye level, she nearly smirked at the clunky, dry blood that marked her fingertips. Drawing her gaze back to her brother, she asked the one question that had plagued her mind since her ill-fated meeting with Matias.

"What does it say?" She asked, her gaze not shifting as Nik's expression turned to one of discomfort,

"What does what say?"

"Don't play dumb with me, Nik. What does it say?" Gen asked, trying to remain clam as she spoke. But the way Nik flinched at her words, suggested her attempts were in vain.

"It just says 'M. Alvares.' That's it." He said, avoiding eye-contact with her. Gen opened her mouth to speak, but quickly shut it again. Nik felt guilty, that much obvious. She had been injured whist he was in the room, a bystander to her misfortune. But, Gen didn't blame him for any of that. The only person she could blame was herself, had she have shut her mouth and simply allowed Peter to win, neither of them would have even _met _Matias. Moving forward, Gen focused on walking. She was determined to find someone, anyone. All she wanted was to find out whether or not her efforts were all for nothing.

As the hours passed, Gen found that the pill had caused the pain to cease almost completely and with every two hours that passed, Gen would take another, keeping the pain at a minimum. Nik had been fairly quiet during their journey, making sure that they sipped on the bottles of water and ate sparingly. Gen was surprised that food and water were even provided for them in the two backpacks Peter had given them. As Gen continued to rummage through the pack that she was convinced was packed especially for her, she pulled out a long blade. Her eyes widened as she remembered where she had seen it before. It was the very blade Gen had used to kill the Cranks that had been placed in the cell with her. As Gen tightened her grip on the handle, she felt a power overcome her, she felt strong, unstoppable.

"Where'd you get that?" Nik asked. Gen was silent, her eyes locked onto the silver of the blade, "Gen?" Snapping her head around to look at him, Gen shrugged,

"In the bag, did you even look in these?" She asked in an attempt to draw attention away from the blade.

"Well, they used to have names stuck on them with tape, but they fell off in the heat. I just went through mine and left yours." He said, "I didn't get anything like that though, just food and water."

"Guess that makes me the protector." Gen smirked, returning her attention once again to the blade,

"Yeah. I guess so." Nik replied, his brow furrowing. "Let's keep moving." Throwing the packs over their backs once more, Gen clung to the blade just as she did with the pills. The buildings drew closer and closer, making Nik more and more uneasy and fidgety. As the pair reached the first of the buildings, Gen wasn't even remotely surprised to see a pair of cranks exit the building and move steadily towards them. The first was a blonde woman with scabs that covered her thin, pale face and tattered clothes that seemed to hang lifelessly from her body. Her companion was a dark haired man with a look in his eye that reminded her of a wild animal.

"_Gen. What do we do?_" Nik's voice echoed in her head.

"_Just see what happens. I'm curious." _Gen replied, a half smile forming on her face as she moved forward to meet the pair, "Hiya." She smiled, reaching into her pocket, pulling out the capsule of pills and popping another pill into her mouth,

"The sun keeps screaming my name. I can hear it." The blonde woman muttered as Gen placed the capsule back into her pocket,

"Fascinating." Gen smiled, looking around at their surroundings; more specifically looking at the lack of sun that surrounded them.

"_Gen. We should get outta here. These guys don't look to friendly" _However, Gen didn't move, nor did she reply or even acknowledge that she heard him. There was a feeling in the pit of her stomach, one that made her hungry for something no food could satisfy. It was a feeling that made her feel... whole.

"Tell me, you guys seen a group of boys? Lead by an aggressive guy by the name of Minho?" She asked her eyes flicking between the pair. As the blonde threw her head back and gave out a shrill laugh, Gen quickly moved forward and without a word, drove the blade into her abdomen. The blonde's laughter came to an abrupt stop and as Gen retracted the blade, the blonde stared at her in disbelief before collapsing to the ground, not making a single sound as she drew her last breath and stilled. As Gen watched her, she found that she felt no remorse for the blonde's death. Turning her eye to the man, who had not moved once or even flinched at the death of his companion, she was about to move towards him, only to be stopped by Nik who grabbed onto her arm,

"Enough! What are you doing, Gen?" He growled. Shaking him off, Gen said nothing as she moved towards the man. "Gen!" Nik screamed, once again grabbing onto her shoulder and this time swinging her around to face him. "You just killed someone! That's enough." He screamed into her face, his eyes etched with fear. But the fear wasn't aimed at the Crank that stood behind them, but at her. In his eyes, she was a monster. But, Gen cared little about Nik's petty morals, she was protecting him. That was her job above all else.

"It's kill or be killed." Gen said calmly.

"They didn't attack us! Do you know who you sound like right now?" Nik cried, "Peter!" As the name reached Gen's ears, the feeling in her stomach shifted and the nausea returned. Looking back at the dark haired Crank, she found that his gaze had shifted onto his deceased companion, the crank was apathetic and seemingly showed no sign that he was even upset at her death, but just as Nik had said, the crank did not attack them.

"Let's just keep moving." As Nik took her by the arm, Gen allowed herself to be pulled away, but continued to keep her sight locked onto the blood soaked blade in her hand that dripped in time with her racing heart. They had only walked for a minute or two before Nik pushed her back against a wall and gestured for her to be silent.

"Can you hear that?" As Gen concentrated, she heard what had startled Nik, the voice of a man,

"You have ten seconds to apologise." The voice of a man greeted them. Neither of them had heard the voice before. But, whoever the owner was, they spoke with authority. Gripping her hand around the blade even tighter than before, Gen had heard that kind of authority from only one other person: Matias Alvares.

**A/N: If you didn't catch on, the man that spoke was Jorge :3 Also, I have purposely avoided doing a chapter from Newt's POV because that would just be too easy. **


	22. Duct Tape and Safety Pins Inside

The man had started to count down, his voice was eerily calm and highly suggested that once he reached ten, whoever had wronged him would surely pay. "Five. Six." Before the following number could be uttered, Gen felt her heart stop as another voice greeted them,

"Do it." The voice belonged to Thomas, which only meant that the moron who would dare cross a man so similar to Matias would be... Minho.

"_Nik. It's them, that was Thomas' voice. It has to be Minho who's caused problems. You gotta let me help them." _

"_You can't whoever this guy is... he will kill you." _

"_I just killed a Crank without blinking. You think I'm scared, Nik? Don't be ridiculous. Now let me through." _Gen replied, trying to push herself from the wall in order to move towards the voices, only to have Nik push her back against it. The counting continued all the way up to nine before Minho's voice greeted her,

"I'm sorry." It was him. It was Minho. She had found him. He was alive... for now.

"I don't think you meant that." The strange man replied, followed by a cry from Minho. "Say it with meaning, _hermano._" As the man spoke once more, Gen's rush of panic disappeared and instead, she froze. Hermano. She had heard Matias say it before. Which meant nothing but trouble. Glancing at Nik, she noticed he wore the same expression as she did. The only reasonable explanation to who the man that was threatening Minho was; he was Matias's brother, the one Peter had mentioned back in Denver.

"Mi-" Before Gen could properly call out to Minho, someone placed their hand over her mouth and pulled her towards them, pulling the blade from her tight grip. Fighting against the hold of what Gen believed to be a man, she attempted to scream out. To warn Minho and Thomas as another, the dark haired man she had allowed to live moved forward and grabbed Nik.

"_Who are these people?" _Nik near screamed in her head as the two men pulled them away from the wall and Minho. Once they had moved around the corner and towards a wooden door, Gen stood on the man's foot, causing him to give out a cry. Breaking out of the man's hold, Gen retrieved her blade that he had dropped and without a second thought sliced the man's torso open, causing more screams to erupt from the man's mouth and just as the blonde woman did, he fell to the ground. Turning towards the dark haired man, Gen held the blade out in front of her. He was the man she had encountered with the blonde.

"He's a king in the dark. He's the king in the dark. The king in the dark stole my fingers. Look." The man whimpered, releasing Nik from his hold and showing Gen the mutilated fingers that seemed to hang from his hands.

"Nik. Get over here." Gen commanded. Nik gave a small nod before he scrambled to his feet and moved behind her, out of harm's way.

"The next time I try to kill a Crank, don't stop me." She growled at Nik who was silent.

"He's crazy." Nik persisted, "Look at him, he doesn't even know what he's doing!" He cried, gesturing to the muttering Crank that was still going on about the King in the Dark and his mutilated fingers. "Let's just leave." Nik seemed to beg,

"It's my job to protect you. This Crank tried to hurt you." Gen snapped,

"Mercy is the difference between you and Peter. You have mercy." Gritting her teeth, Gen lowered the blade and turned her back on the dark haired Crank.

"Let's get back to Minho and the others." Gen said softly, moving back the way they came. As they drew closer, Gen felt a hand clasp onto her shoulder. Looking behind her, Gen found her eyes fall onto the dark haired man, his hanging fingers started to dig into her skin, causing her to wince. As the pair made eye contact, almost immediately, he retracted his hand as if she was poisonous and widened his eyes,

"What... are you?" He asked. Giving no reply, Gen moved forward, gripping the soaking knife in her hand and grabbing onto the Crank's collar. Lifting the knife above her head, Gen was about to end it before the Crank spoke again, staring at her in wonder, "You swallowed crushed ice pretending it was glass, but he's still dead."  
"What are you talking about? Who's dead?" Gen barked, still holding the knife. As her words reached his ears, the Crank tilted his head and outstretched his grossly mutilated hand to slowly place it on her forehead. "My god...You're all duct tape and safety pins inside... how are you still alive?" Biting down on her lip as hard as she could, Gen tried to focus, only to have the man slap her as hard as he could. Falling to her side, Gen looked up at the man who tilted his head before kicking Gen in the stomach. Giving out a cry, she tried to move away from the Crank who sent another hard kick into her stomach, "You're not human. You're a monster." The man was yelling over and over, until it simply stopped. With a frown, Gen watched the man fall to the ground and much to her surprise, she found that Nik was behind him, his trembling hand clinging to the blood soaked knife.

"Nik?" Gen mumbled, her hands holding onto her stomach where the man had kicked her. Nik didn't reply, instead allowing the knife to fall to the ground. Scrambling to her feet, Gen fought the urge to double over in pain as she placed her hand on his shoulder, giving him no choice but to look at her. There were tears in his eyes as he focused on keeping himself together, "We gotta keep moving, brother." Gen told him.

"They can't see me like this." Nik said, his eyes lowering to the blood that marked his shirt, "They can't see me like a... like a"

"Like a monster?" Gen suggested. Nik wasn't supposed to be the killer, it was supposed to be Gen. Gen was the soldier. Gen was the protector. It was Gen's job to keep Nik safe. It was her stupid job. The stupid job she didn't even remember having. The only reason that Gen stayed by Nik's side and protected him the way her fleeting memories had depicted was because he reminded her so much of Newt. "You're not a monster. You're my brother. You're gonna be fine." Grabbing onto his hand, Gen lead Nik back to the wall and poked her head around the corner, all of them where there. All but Thomas. Setting her eyes onto Newt, she held her breath- their eyes met. Newt was staring at her, he knew it was her. Blinking, Gen felt a rush of guilt at the look of disbelief on his face. She had to try and explain why she left them, why she betrayed them. Feeling the pain in her back return, Gen pulled the capsule out and took another pill. Her hands were trembling, but she would rather die trying to fight off the Cranks and allow the Gladers a chance to escape, rather than have them believe she betrayed them.

"_Stay here." _Gen told Nik before she stepped out from behind the wall and cleared her throat, drawing the attention of the Gladers and the Cranks.

**A/N: Because you guys are EXTREMELY eager for a Newt POV, the next one is a Newt POV and the actual meeting. **


	23. Whiskey Lullabies

**A/N: There you go! Newt's POV! Also, to explain the title, the song I listened to when I wrote this chapter was "Whiskey Lullabies" By Janet Devlin. You guys should listen to it while you read :3 Hence why this is at the start :P **

Newt was silent, his eyes were locked onto the girl before him. The painfully far girl that he wanted in his arms. She still looked the same, maybe a little more broken. No, that was a lie, she looked as though she had been through Hell and back and then back through Hell once more, as if the first time wasn't painful enough. Newt had been through his own Hell, although he didn't share the physical marks that the girl of his dreams had, but Newt's scars were deep inside of him and would always be a reminder of what he had lost. But, the very thing that was before him was the very thing he _had _lost. There was no doubt who the girl was. Gen. His Gen and she was just as beautiful as she was inside of his dreams. He wanted to run to her, to hold her close and make all the pain go away. Not just for him, but for her as well. But, as Newt looked to Minho, who wore a cold, isolated expression, Newt's stomach turned. Minho had become one of his closest friends, just as Thomas was. But, the difference between Thomas and Minho was very simple. Gen was Minho's. They were an item. Inseparable. Soul Mates. She was his kindness and he was her adventure. But... deep down, Newt just wanted a chance, one chance to prove that... no. She belonged with Minho.

"Who are you?" A girl barked, snapping Newt back into reality. Setting his eyes onto the dark haired girl, it was the first time that Newt had properly noticed her. She was around his age with long, brown hair that framed her pale face. He couldn't help but notice her dark eyes watching Gen with a mixture of curiosity and caution. She seemed... rather different from the surrounding Cranks who all just stared at Gen like she was a meal.

"A friend." Gen replied lightly, "I'm apart of their group." She added, nodding towards Minho who crossed his arms over his chest. Newt knew that look, Minho seemed just as wary of her as the Crank girl did.

"That's a nice knife you've got there." The girl replied with a scratchy, almost husky voice. Almost as if Gen hadn't noticed at all that she was carrying a long, blood stained knife, she raised her eyebrows before slowly bringing her hands above her head and allowing the knife to drop carelessly to the ground. "Good. Now, what's ya name?"

"Genevieve." Gen answered clearly, "I have a companion with me, if you don't mind, I would like to give him a signal that he can come and join me. He is unarmed and practically a fly." She smirked, her eyes locked onto the Crank who had taken charge. As the girl gave her a soft nod, Newt watched with a frown as a strange boy he had never seen before moved out from behind the wall and joined Gen with a petrified look on his face.

"Nik?" Aris exclaimed from where he stood behind Minho and Newt. No one dared to speak as the Crank shot them a foul look. Flicking his gaze once again to Minho, Newt saw that his gaze had fallen to the ground and both of his hands were curled into tight balls.

"This, as you would have worked out, is Nikola. You may refer to him as Nik if you wish." Gen said softly. The dark haired boy gave a small, nervous smile before his eyes searched Gen's face for a promise of safety. The boy was obviously from the second group and was a friend of Aris's. But, that did not mean that Minho would accept him, especially seeing as how he was travelling with Gen. If there was one thing Newt knew about his friend, it was that he had a short fuse.

"Do you know these people?" The dark haired Crank then snapped, turning her head around to address the Gladers, who all looked to Minho. Each of them knew Gen, each of them knew her very well and so they should. However, just as Newt expected, they weren't brave enough to admit that she was one of them. Minho had threatened them too many times at even the mere mention of her name for them to even _look _at her. Just as the others did, Newt locked his eyes onto Minho's face, that was still angled downward, his gaze not shifting from the ground. Newt hoped that Minho could feel his eyes on his skin, burning a hole where he stared. Newt had made his decision. Perhaps it was a selfish decision based on impulse or whatever else those around him wished to call it. But, if Minho choose to send her away, to claim that Gen was no more than a stranger to him, Newt would never forgive him and as a symbol of that- he would join her in banishment. Newt had never been a selfish person, he had given up a lot for the sake of his friends, in particular for Minho and Thomas, but for once. Just once. Newt wanted to do something for himself. Just once.

"Minho." Newt's voice was never meant to come across as harsh, but as Minho's head snapped up to give him an accusing expression, Newt guessed that it didn't matter how he spoke his word. Minho was Minho and he only heard what he wanted to hear. After staring at him for a few more seconds, Minho drew his attention not to the Crank, but to Gen. Following Minho's gaze, Newt felt a pang in his chest as his eyes met with Gen's face. The expression that had graced her features was one of sheer desperation, she was begging him. The supposed love of her life. In that moment, Newt wanted to punch Minho in the face, he was too blinded by his own anger to see the love in Gen's eyes. Newt had remembered the look from his memories. It was the very same way she looked at him... back before the maze.

"You give us an answer or else I'm going to cut her pretty head off." The brunette snapped. Giving out a sigh, Minho spoke,

"She's with us." He said, "Him too." He added, not bothering to hide the bitterness in his tone as he spoke. Newt felt a wave of relief fall over him as Gen and Nikola slowly made their way towards them, each of the Cranks eyeing the pair off as they moved towards them. Newt used all his strength not to move forward and embrace her, to tell her how much he missed her. Instead, he stood back with Minho and watched as Clint and the others moved forward to greet her.

"Hold it." Before the others could reach Gen, the brunette moved towards her briskly, giving Gen no choice but to stop. Once again, a rush of panic overwhelmed Newt as he attempted to move forward, only to have Minho clasp a hand on his shoulder, giving him no choice but to remain where he was. As the brunette stopped in front of Gen, Newt couldn't help but frown as Gen flashed her a condescending smile,

"You know, I never did quite catch your name." Gen said rather softly, further promoting the condescension that laced her words. The brunette, who seemed to catch on immediately to Gen's attitude placed a hand on her hip,

"The name's Brenda. A pleasure I'm sure." She replied, using the same tone as Gen had.

"Well, Brenda. What seemed to be the problem?" She asked. "Would you like to search our backpacks?" She asked, looking to Nikola who clung to the two packs as tightly as possible. Without a word, Brenda gave a small nod and a large man moved forward to collect the bags from Nik, who gave them up without the slightest sign he intended to fight against him. As the bags were opened and the contents were pulled out of them, Newt couldn't help but hold his breath. If Brenda found something that could be used as a weapon against her, Gen and Nik would be gone. As soon as both bags were searched and the pair of Cranks were certain that Gen and Nik carried nothing that could be used against them, they moved back and allowed Nik to scramble forward to repack the bags, flashing the bigger man a dirty look as he did so.

"Satisfied?" Gen asked. Causing Brenda's brow to furrow,

"Actually, I have one more question." She said, causing Gen to raise an eyebrow, "Where'd you get that rather nasty burn on ya back?" There was a hint of smugness in Brenda's tone as she spoke.

"Obviously I was burnt." Gen replied sarcastically, "I think you're asking the wrong question." She said. Brenda quickly looked her up and down before she stepped to the side,

"I think so." She said, "There's no need to keep an eye on this one." She announced to the crowd of Cranks that watched them, "There's only a matter of time before she flies back home. Matias likes to keep a short leash on his pets." Matias. Newt had never heard the name before in his life, but watching as Gen flinched at the sound of her name, he was certain that it meant nothing but trouble. As Gen and Nik once again moved towards the crowd, Clint was the first to place a hand on her shoulder, greeting her briefly, yet warmly. Newt wanted to joining the crowd that surrounded her and Nik, who seemed rather happy to see Aris. As the crowd slowly moved away from her and back to where they had been originally standing, Gen set her eyes onto he and Minho. Her eyes were filled with guilt and remorse, but Newt knew that wouldn't be enough for Minho. As Gen moved briskly towards them, she stopped a mere, half a metre away from them, but even that seemed too far away from Newt.

"Hello." Gen said, her eyes flicking between the pair, waiting for a reaction, waiting for something. Anything. As Newt opened his mouth to try and find the words to say, he was cut off by Minho,

"Hello?" He questioned, "Hello? That's what you have to say?!" He growled, causing Gen to flinch,

"Minho... I-" Pausing, Gen quickly shut her mouth again, her eyes moving to her feet, "I'm sorry."

"Sorry?" Minho scoffed, "Well, I'm sorry to say that 'sorry' just isn't gonna cut it, girly." He snapped.

"Gen?" It was Newt's turn to speak. His words had escaped his lips in a mere whisper, but somehow, it was enough to cause Gen to raise her head,

"Hey Newtie." She greeted, before he gaze moved back to her feet, "I have so much I need to tell you. I-" Before Gen could continue her sentence, Newt moved forward and pulled her into a tight embrace, one hand resting on the back of her head and the other wrapped safely around her back. In that moment, Newt had never felt so complete. As Gen slowly managed to wrap her arms around him, Newt noticed as she stiffened in his hold. She was real. Not just another dream. She was actually real and in his arms. Pulling out of his hold, Gen's gaze was still fixated downwards, no matter how hard Newt tried to make eye-conatct with her.

"This isn't over, Gen." Minho's voice greeted them. Snapping her head upward, Gen pushed her way pass Newt and stood in front of Minho, who once again had his arms crossed over his chest, "As soon as we get out of this, we're gonna have a long shucking talk." He growled, "Until then, I don't entirely trust you."

"Peas in a pod, Minho. I'd expect nothing less." Gen smiled. As Gen took a small breath, Newt then noticed the burn that Brenda had referred to. It wasn't just any burn. It was a name: M. Alvares. Which meant that the Matias person, Brenda had mockingly referred to was the individual that had their name burned into Gen's flesh,

"What the bloody hell did they do to you?" Newt breathed, outstretching his fingers to gently touch the surrounding skin that was just as inflamed as the burn itself. Looking upward, Newt noticed that Minho too had moved around to examine the burn for himself, a look of anger on his face,

"Who did this to you?" He demanded,

"Doesn't matter now. We should concentrate on the situation you lot have gotten yourselves into."Gen snapped, spinning around to face them. She was hiding something, even Newt could see that.

"Was it Peter? Rat man? I swear to god I'll kill both of those slintheads!"

"Minho. Enough." Gen cried, causing him to fall silent.

"Gen? Are you alright?" The voice came from the stranger, who rushed forward, "What are you two doing?" He snapped at them.

"Nik. It's fine. This is Minho and Newt." He said, gesturing between the pair, "This is Nik." She introduced. The boy gave a small nod, looking between them. Without a word, Minho did what Minho did best and acted on impulse, landing a hard punch to the boy's jaw and causing him to fall to the ground. As Minho moved in to punch him once more, Gen rushed forward, pushing him back,

"Stop it! Minho, stop!" She cried, cupping his face and forcing him to look at her.

"You picked him over me?" Minho questioned.

"He's my brother, shuck." Gen growled back at him, causing Minho's expression to soften. Looking to the boy, Newt held his hand up and helped him up.

"Dude." Nik muttered, wiping the blood that trickled from the corner of his mouth, "I promise you I'm not trying to make a move on my sister." He seethed, glaring at Minho with daggers in his eyes.

"All right, everybody listen!" Looking towards where the voice had come from, Newt narrowed his eyes at Jorge, who had returned with Thomas. As Thomas's gaze met with Newt's, he noticed a flicker in his eyes that told him, he had something planned. Something big.


	24. We're Burning Out, We're Burning Down

Keeping her gaze low, Gen moved towards Nik, _"Sorry about Minho" _She thought, hoping that Nik would hear her.

"_Yeah, so far he seems like a real catch." _Nik mocked. Gen forced a small smile, focusing on keeping her eyes locked ahead and onto Matias's brother, Jorge. So far, she could see the resemblance, the olive skin, dark hair, it was rather obvious that the pair were related. Gen just hoped that Jorge wasn't as horrid as his brother. As her eyes flicked towards Thomas, she noticed the slight frown on his face as their eyes met. He was just as curious and confused as Jorge was, who's brow furrowed as he noticed them,

"And who are you?" He asked, moving towards them briskly.

"They're apart of the group apparently." The girl- Brenda said. Looking to the dark haired girl, Gen couldn't help but narrow her eyes. So far, the girl wasn't exactly in her good books. But, then again, nor was Minho. Fair enough, he had every right to be angry, she had left him without so much as a word of goodbye, but she was positive that once she explained that she had done what she did to save Newt, he would be understanding and then they would go back to being... them.

"What are your names?" He asked, tilting his head, his eyes flicking between the pair.

"I'm Genevieve, this is Nikola." Gen said, gesturing between herself and Nik. As Gen finished her sentence, Brenda moved forward, standing on her toes to whisper something in Jorge's ear that causes him to grin.

"Is that so, _hermana?_" He asked, looking from Brenda to Gen. "I am told you have a very distinct burn on your back. May I see?" He asked rather politely. Gen paused, her eyes searching his before she very slowly turned to face her back to him. Gen quickly shut her eyes, listening as Jorge gave out a small sigh of curiosity, "You've met my brother, I see. He's quite the interesting fellow, isn't he?" He said. Turning back to face him, Gen didn't respond, she simply kept her gaze locked onto him. "Hm. I can see why Matias likes you." He said with a smug expression before he looked back around at the crowd, "Alright, me and bird-face over here have come to a resolution." He said, looking around the crowd. Gen took a step back, so that she was in between Newt and Minho. Without thinking, Gen slipped her fingers in between Minho's, causing him to stiffen. Despite Minho's reaction, Gen didn't let go of his hand and much to her surprise, Minho slowly curled his fingers around her hand, holding onto her hand just as tightly as she held onto his. "First, we need to get these people food. I know it seems crazy to share out hard-earned grub with a bunch of strangers, but I think we could use their help, Give 'em the pork and beans- I'm sick of that horse crap anyway." Jorge finished, causing a few of the Cranks to snigger in response. "Second, being the grand gentlemen and saint that I am, I've decided not to kill the punk who attacked me." He said, his eyes locked solely onto Minho. Feeling her brow furrow, Gen looked up at Minho, who continued to stare at Jorge with a white hot hatred in his dark eyes. She knew that Minho had done something to piss the guy off, but she had never anticipated he had gone as far to _attack _the guy. Gen near rolled her eyes as Minho started to wave and smile at the jeering crowd that booed at Jorge's decision.

"Minho. Stop." Gen hissed through gritted teeth,

"Pretty happy, are you?" Jorge grunted, cutting Gen off completely, "That's good to know. Means you'll take the news well." He smiled, "I see you and Matias's girl are close." He added, his eyes flicking between Minho and Gen, "Perhaps you will be grateful that it is me that you're dealing with and not him. He's not as... merciful as I am."

"Yeah, because you're a such a charmer." Minho grunted in reply, "What's this good news, huh?"

"I'm glad you asked, _hermano._" Jorge spoke in a matter-of-factly tone of voice, "After we get you stragglers fed so you don't go dying of starvation on us, you get to have your punishment for attacking me."

"Oh yeah?" Minho smirked, showing no sign of fear in his tone nor his expression. Looking at him, gen thought of him not as brave, but as a fool. "And what's that gonna be?"

"You punched me with both of your fists. So, we're gonna cut a finger off each hand." Slipping his hand of Gen's hold, Minho was about to charge Jorge if it weren't for Brenda who moved up and placed Gen's blade underneath Minho's chin, drawing a drop of blood that ran down his neck.

"Be careful with that blade." Gen hissed, her eyes fixated onto Brenda, "I'd like it back, preferably without it spilling my boyfriend's blood." She said.

"Hate it say it, but you have a poor taste in men." Brenda quipped, nicking Minho's neck a little more, causing another drop of blood to run down his neck.

"Enough, Brenda." Jorge snapped, "Here's the plan, Brenda and I will escort these moochers tot he stash, ket 'em eat up. Then we'll all meet on the Tower, let's say one hour from now." He said, looking down at his watch, "Make that noon on the dot. We'll bring up lunch for the rest of you." He said. As the crowd started to erupt with questions about why it was simply he and Brenda, Gen couldn't take her eyes off of Minho.

"Gen." She heard Newt whisper from behind her. But, Gen remained frozen, she couldn't even _look _at Newt, not after what she had done to him. She had done it to save him, but, the guilt was becoming too much for her to bare. She hated the fact that Newt had reacted so calmly- so warmly to her return. If anyone had a reason to hate her for her actions, it was him.

"If these punks try anything, Brenda will slash Mr. Minho to tiny bits while I beat the living hell out of the rest of 'em. They can barely stand they're so weak. Now _get_!" Gen watched with caution as the surrounding Cranks scurried off, each of them mumbling under their breaths as they went. As soon as the Cranks left the room, Brenda very slowly dropped the knife and as Gen moved forward to embrace him, she watched as he darted passed her and towards where the other's stood, all watched Jorge. Turning around slowly, she too faced him, her eyes scanning the crowd, she noticed that Nik stood with Aris amongst the crowd. He seemed to fit in with the group better than she did.

"Gen." It was Newt's voice once more, giving her no choice but to turn her head to face him, "Just give him some time." Was all he said. Turning her attention back to Brenda, she noticed that the girl once again approached Minho,

"I really would've killed you, ya know. Charge Jorge again and I'll swear I'll sever an artery." She threatened. Gen watched her, she reminded her somewhat of herself, which was probably the main reason Gen hated her so much. As Brenda moved back and away from Minho who wiped the blood from his knife, her heart sank as he spoke,

"That's a sharp knife. Think it makes me like you more." He grinned. Gen didn't quite catch what was said after that, she could only focus on Minho's words. Perhaps her absence had affected Minho just as Peter expected, but then again, perhaps he had in fact... moved on from her. She could understand, Brenda was a lot like him, plus she was beautiful and strong. Just Minho's type. Gen on the other hand... she was all safety pins and duct tape on the inside, just as the Crank had said.

"You think I'm just gonna waltz over to have a sit-down with psychos and then let you cut my freaking fingers off?" Minho growled.

"Just shut up fro once." Thomas snapped, causing even Gen to frown, "Let's go eat. I don't care what happens to your beautiful hands after that." It wasn't hard to pick up that something was off and as Minho gave a short nod, she was at least impressed that he seemed to catch on,

"Whatever, let's go." As the group started to follow Jorge down what looked to be a long corridor, Gen looked towards Minho, who glanced at her briefly before following the group. Out of the corner of her eye, Gen caught a glimpse of Brenda who had approached Thomas.

"Let's go." Flinching, Gen looked around at Newt, who raised his eyebrow at her, "or... we could stay here?" He asked with a slight frown.

"Why are you doing this?" Gen asked, locking eyes with Newt for the first since she had returned.

"Doing what?" He asked,

"Acting like everything I did was completely fine. Like nothing ever happened." She asked. Newt shrugged his shoulders,

"Guess I missed you more than I despised you." He said, "Now, we gonna bloody go or stand around here?" He asked once more. Gen stared at him for a second longer before she gave a short nod and started to move towards where the other's had disappeared to, Newt close beside her. He was alive. That at least meant her decision to leave wasn't in vain. She had managed to protect him, even if he wasn't yet aware of it.


	25. Goodbye My Beloved

Gen kept quiet, trying to ignore the blistering hot sunlight that seemed to almost melt her flesh. Brenda took the lead, whilst Jorge took up the rear- which just so happened to be right behind Gen and Newt. She could feel his eyes burning a hole into her back as the Hipspanic man stared at his brother's mark. He seemed almost... sympathetic in a way. However, he took great pleasure in reminding her that_ he_ was the nice one. Glancing to her left, Gen's brow furrowed as she watched Newt limp beside her, just as how he used to back inside of the Glade. However, there seemed to be something off about him. It wasn't just the shadows under his eyes or the hurt set in his mouth. It was something more than that. He wasn't the same boy she knew in the Glade; Yes, he had the same name, he still stood around the same height with a kindly look as he tread softly beside her. But he was not Newt. This boy was too unfocused, too tired and too weathered down. But, she wasn't the Gen he knew either and Gen knew that it was just something she just had to get used to. As Brenda led the group down a set of steps that disappeared into the pavement, darkness swallowed them and Gen felt Newt move closer towards her so that their arms brushed against each other. Gen didn't speak, instead she just followed the sounds of the Gladers' footsteps until Brenda called for them to sit along the wall whilst she went to get them some 'tasty delights'. As the others all did as they were told, Gen was still, waiting as her eyes adjusted to the darkness. She wanted to talk to Minho and Newt, she wanted to explain herself to them, or well, she wanted to tell them something that would ease their minds. Moving forward, Gen watched as Brenda moved out of the room and started to hand out the cans of beans. Kicking Newt, she raised her eyebrows at him, gesturing for him to follow her and as she passed Minho, she did the same. Much to her surprise, both of them stood, following her and towards the small room that was filled with cans, a small light bulb hanging from the roof that served as their only light. As they moved into the room, Minho quickly grabbed her arm and slammed her into the wall with a thud before pushing himself against her and holding her in place,

"Minho. Stop!" Newt growled, trying to pull Minho off of her, with no luck.

"What's going on?" It was Thomas who spoke, but Gen didn't take her eyes off of Minho's. She could tell that Brenda had followed him into the room, she could almost hear the sneer as she watched them.

"It's a bit funny you show up outta nowhere." Minho hissed. Gen raised an eyebrow,

"You think I'm a spy, Minho?" She asked, both hands placed securely on his chest.

"I don't know what to think." Minho replied. As Gen pushed against his chest, Minho wasted no time in quickly grabbed both of her wrists and pinning them either side of her head. As Gen was about to open her mouth to speak, she was quickly cut off by Minho, "You still have my coin." He muttered, stepping back and releasing her from his hold,

"If you want it back, you can have it."

"I don't care about the coin." Minho spat, "We need to talk."

"Which is why we're here." Gen said, finally allowing her eyes to fall onto Newt, Thomas and Brenda's faces before looking back to Minho, "So, let's talk."

"You start." Minho retorted, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Nothing's ever easy with you, is it?" Newt sighed, glancing at Minho who shrugged his shoulders.

"Well, so good to see you all again. So glad you're not dead." Gen began, looking around at the three boys who wore solemn expressions.

"That's it." Minho hissed, moving forward and once again shoving her against the wall, "We had a plan and then you just run off with WICKED. Why? It doesn't make sense." He snapped. When Gen didn't give a reply, he took a step forward and grabbed both of her biceps, "Answer me!"

"I wanted to get back at Peter for taking everything away from me." Gen lied, her brow furrowed as she spoke. It was always her intention to talk to them, but it was never her intention to tell them the truth.

"We were a team, Gen!" Minho replied, "We had a good plan. It was supposed to be you and me. Why'd you screw it up?" As his grip tightened around her arms, Gen grit her teeth, everyone was watching her, waiting for an answer; an explanation. Without thinking, she spoke,

"I did it to save Newt!" She cried, shoving Minho off of her. Looking around her, she noted the shocked expression that each of them wore,

"What?" Minho questioned, looking around to Newt who had gone pale at the very thought that she did everything for him, "No. No way."

"Rat Man said he was going to kill Newt if I didn't leave the group." Gen said, brushing down her shirt.

"So... you were tortured and... burnt because of me?" Newt asked, his brow slightly furrowed. Flicking her gaze to meet his, Gen bit her lip,

"No. I was tortured and burnt because I stupidly spoke out of line." She said through gritted teeth,

"And who is this Matias guy?" Thomas then asked.

"You don't know who Matias Alvares is?" Brenda scoffed from where she stood in the doorway, "Have you been livin' under a rock?" She asked,

"Actually, in a maze... so, kinda the same thing." Minho smirked, "Who is he?"

"Only the most dangerous man you can encounter in Denver." Brenda shrugged nonchalantly. "He's also Jorge's baby brother."

"So, what you're saying is... being a complete shuck-face runs in the family?" Newt asked, much to Gen's surprise. As Brenda's gaze shifted onto Gen a small smile crept onto her face,

"On the upside, with that shiny logo on ya back. No one in Denver'll lay a finger on you... all except for Matias of course." She smirked. "What'ya do to earn that, huh? Steal from him?" Brenda asked curiously, moving into the room. Gen shook her head, watching as Brenda picked up an open can of beans and a spoon and started to eat,

"Guy named Peter sold me." Gen shrugged.

"What do you mean 'sold you'?" Newt asked,

"Peter took Nik and I to meet him. Said that he wanted to show us what the real world was like..." Gen began, her eyes finding their way to her feet, "He said that he liked me. That I had fire... so Peter, being the complete slinthead he is, said he could have me after the trials. Matias didn't believe him so... I was branded."As her words came to an end, everyone fell silent, watching her with a mixture of sympathy and curiosity. Two things she hated. She had made herself clear. She had spoken her piece and yet, she still felt as though she was an outcast.

"Well, he's not bloody getting you." Newt spoke, "Simple as that."

"If only." Gen smiled, locking eyes with him. "Well, I've explained myself. What now?" She asked, in particular aiming her words at Minho, who, as their eyes met, swallowed.

"Everyone go. I want to talk to Gen alone." He said, his voice coming out in a soft whisper. As each of them took their leave. Gen turned to face him completely, listening as the last set of footsteps left the room, leaving the pair alone.

"Gen-"

"I'm not sorry." She quickly said, cutting Minho off completely.

"Didn't expect you to be." He said, taking step towards her so that their faces were only a few inches away from each other. "After what you did... how can I trust you?" He asked. Gen frowned,

"I guess you can't." She breathed. Minho gave a short nod,

"I have to tell you something." He said,

"That's why you wanted me alone, wasn't it? So speak." She said, being sure that she maintained a blank expression. Taking a breath, Minho spoke,

"I can't be with you and be the leader at the same time." He shrugged. Gen laughed, causing Minho to look up at her with a look of confusion on his face,

"You don't mean that." She said, shaking her head.

"I'm sick of you fogging things up. I can't think straight with you around. I just need a break... once we're outta here, it's back to you and me against whatever else is out there. It's not you, it's me." Gen didn't say anything, she hated him so much and yet, the thought of him leaving her made her want to die.

"No." She hissed, "You walk away. You walk away for good. There's no such thing as a break." She growled and without another word she turned on her heel and moved away from him.

"Don't turn your back on me." Minho hissed, moving up behind her and spinning her around to face him, shoving him away from her, Gen grit her teeth,

"I should have turned my back on you ages ago!" She screamed at him, her words echoed around them like a hurricane that destroyed everything it touched. Minho was silent, his grip around her loosened and his expression softened as their eyes met. Pulling away from him, she turned on her heel and moved away from him, trying to hold back the tears that threatened to spill from her tired eyes. Every piece of her body ached. He did it. Peter did it. He had broken her.

**A/N: *Braces self for angry Minhovieve fans* Don't hurt me. I still love you guys. But, this is Minho and Minho acts on impulse. **


	26. My Safety Pinned Insides

Outside of the room, it was like a fire had burnt her flesh and the surrounding boys, the ex-Gladers all avoided looking at her, as if she was too horrifying to look at. She could hear Minho behind her. Both of them knew that word had gotten around about them, at least, word had gotten around to those who hadn't _heard _the argument. As expected, Gen found Nik watching her from the end of the corridor, his gaze was filled with pity. Gen hated pity. In fact, she would even go as far as to say she hated empathy as a whole. The entire concept of it was stupid and pointless. As she continued to move towards her brother, Gen felt her brow furrow as a though rushed through her head over and over '_Maybe I am just like Peter. Maybe Matias is the person I should be with..._'

'_Don't think like that._' Nik's voice was cold and harsh, causing Gen to flinch. She hadn't even realised that she had projected her thoughts. But, then again, she had only recently found out that she and Nik shared this bond.

'_Easy for you to say. You didn't just lose the person that kept you alive throughout the constant beatings and torture._' Gen replied bitterly, feeling her face screw up in a grimace. As Gen drew within a metre from where Nik was standing, she felt her head start to spin. All at once. Or perhaps it was everything else that started to spin around and around. Staggering forward, Gen placed a hand against the wall for support. She had to stop the spinning. Looking around her, she saw that no one had moved, instead they sat against the wall, spinning with the long corridor.

"Gen?" Snapping her head around to look at Nik, Gen continued to clutch the wall for dear life, "Gen, what's wrong? You're bleeding." He rushed. As he moved forward, Gen forced herself off of the wall and forced a smile as she moved her hand up to her nose. As Nik had pointed out, she was bleeding. But, there was no reason for her to be bleeding, once again wiping the blood away from her upperlip for the second time, she quickly forced her trembling hand into her pocket, searching desperately for the pills she clung to like a life source.

"Gen, bloody hell, what's gotten into you?" The voice belonged to Newt. She knew that. But, in the same sense, his voiced seemed to be carried towards her from miles and miles away.

"I just... I..." The words stuck in her throat as she seemed to fight against her pocket for the pills, "I need to..." She knew what she wanted to say. Inside of her head she was screaming, begging for someone to come towards her, to help her. But, no one did and her stuttered words drifted into the darkness, unheard by those around her. _You're all duct tape and safety pins inside. How are you still alive? _Spinning on her heel, Gen held her breath as the Crank's voice greeted her within the darkness. It was impossible. She had killed him. He died before her very eyes. She watched the life leave his body as he drew his last breath. She... Gen murdered him. Blinking, Gen looked into the darkness of the foreboding corridor before her, it filled her with terror and made her insides, her safety pinned insides grow cold. It was just like the maze. Just, this time there was nothing to fix her when she crashed and burned. No Minho to pick her up. No Alby to tell her what to do and no Peter to lie to her and make her believe she could trust anyone but herself. As her eyes started darting between the Glader's, she heard a high pitched ringing in her ears that seemed to be more like inaudible whispers. Each one of them was untrustworthy. Minho had lied to her, he had _left _her at the very moment she needed him the most. Thomas was the reason everything had happened. Nik was more a stranger to her than any of the others and he was her own flesh and blood! All of them could stab her in the back just as the other's before her did. Just like Peter. Just like her father. Just like her horrid mother who placed her into the trials. Pressing her back against the wall, Gen quickly shut her eyes, trying desperately to focus on the chatter amongst the Gladers. She would not allow any of them to see her fall apart. To see just how much Peter had broken her. Just how much Minho had shattered what was left of her heart. But, the ringing just grew louder and louder until she couldn't hear the Gladers speak at all. Pulling her hand out of her pocket, she heard the capsule pills hit the ground with a loud thud that echoed in her head as she placed her trembling hands over her ears. But it didn't stop. It would never stop. Feeling warm liquid in between her ears and her hands, Gen quickly reopened her eyes and brought her hands down to her eye-level. Blood. Bloody was gushing from her hands and dripping onto the cold, cement floor in neat pools. It was too perfect, too neat to be real and it wasn't. Gen never it wasn't real. She knew it was _every _inch of her being that it wasn't real. But, no matter how many times she blinked, the image didn't disappear. Feeling a pair of hands grip onto her shoulders and call out her name, everything just... stopped. The ringing. The dizziness. The blood. It was all gone and Gen was just cold. Looking around her, she saw that she had slumped down onto the hard ground, the pills laying on their side next to her, unopened. As she looked ahead of her, she felt herself being able to breathe easily as her eyes locked with the honey-blonde boy that she saved. That made her life seem to mean something. That made her feel as though she could be a hero.

**A/N: It's been awhile. Kinda had to take time on this chapter. Just thought I would point out: Do you remember what Peter said to Nik after he and Gen were thrown into the Scorch? Just think about what he said and then about what happened in this chapter. Sorry for the long wait guys. :(**


	27. I'll be Good

Newt kept his eyes locked onto Gen's face, she was pale, other than the thin, red line of crimson that ran from her nose that was. She seemed to stare straight through him. Like he wasn't even there. She was shattered, even Newt could see that. Minho had been the one to have shattered her very being. To make her to amount to... whatever it was he was seeing before him. Looking over his shoulder, he noticed the others around him. Some of them watched the pair with curiosity, others whispered amongst themselves, whilst others simply pretended they didn't hear a thing. It wasn't difficult to have worked out that Minho and Gen were no longer... Minho and Gen. The way that Minho stared. No. The way Minho _glared _at the broken girl was enough evidence to see that whatever feelings Minho had held for her, whether or not he was simply being stubborn or not were either dead and gone or hidden behind his arrogance. Looking back to her, Newt found that she was watching him, the corners of her mouth were angled upward in a small, slight smile that none would recognise without knowing Gen as well as he did. Or, as well as he would like to think he knew her.

"Newtie." She smirked, her eyes examining his like _he _was the one with all the secrets. Averting his eyes from hers, Newt bit his lip. She seemed like a stranger, her face riddled with manipulation, cynicism and a power-hungry look in her eyes. She wasn't Gen. Or perhaps she was. Perhaps she had always been that way and he hadn't noticed. It wasn't exactly a bad set of traits to have, she at least could play the game that WICKED had neglected to warn them of. Gen knew the rules. Hell, Newt would even go as far as to say she invented some of them in her time spent with their captors.

"Gen." Newt murmured, finally finding the courage to address her. "How are you feeling?" He asked, forcing his eyes to meet with hers once more. They were hollow, almost empty. Almost.

"Fine. When do we start moving again?" She asked, attempting to push herself back onto her feet and away from the wall. Standing up as she did, Newt took a step back, a frown forming on his face as he watched her.

"Whenever Brenda or Jorge give the bloody say so." He muttered, once again briefly averting his eyes from hers, but even then, he could still see the grimace on her face as Brenda's name reached her ears. "Just ignore her." Newt told her, looking over at Brenda who was whispering something to Thomas.

"Ignore her?" Gen questioned, "A little hard to ignore someone when the one person you want is practically _drooling _over them." She muttered, not bothering to attempt to hide the bitterness in her tone as she spoke. "What does it matter anyway? Minho can have whoever he wants." She grumbled, "But we need to move. The more time we spend here, the less time we have to make it to wherever we're meant to be." She said. As Newt's frown deepened, Gen continued, "WICKED will not show mercy. They will take everything you love and use it against you." She hissed, "I once thought my pride was the one thing they couldn't take from me. But, I was wrong. They can take it, they can and they will."

"You're back here with us now. They can't get you now. You survived Gen. Don't you get that?" Newt asked, slightly tilting his head as he watched her.

"Isn't the saying what doesn't kill you makes you stronger?" Gen asked, once again staring straight through him. When Newt didn't reply, her eyes once again found his, "Don't believe it. It's a lie." She told him, "What doesn't kill you doesn't make you stronger... it just makes you wish you were dead." As Gen pushed past him, Newt held his breath. There was so much he wanted to say. So much he wanted to do, but she wouldn't listen to him. She was just as stubborn as ever, perhaps even more so. Closing his eyes, Newt remembered the memory that had returned to him. It was vivid and short, but even then he held on to it...

_Moving towards the girl, Newt shook his head and crossed his arms as he often did whenever Gen's face was bruised or swollen. Raising her eyebrows, Gen rose from her bed, _

"_Heya Newt. What brings you here?" She asked, tilting her head to the left slightly as she spoke, highlighting the right side of her bruised face. The blue and purple swirls brightening in the light. "Breaking into my cell isn't recommended, remember?" She smirked, her eyes falling to the set of keys Newt held in his hand, quickly hiding them behind his back, he rolled his eye, _

"_I wouldn't have to bloody break in if you'd just be good." He growled, taking a few more steps into the room,_

"_That punk deserved everything he got." Gen muttered, her brow furrowing in frustration. "Just wish I didn't stop hitting him." She added. Newt couldn't help but flash her a sympathetic look. _

"_Yeah, but Janson's not gonna be very kind after you broke his nose." he scowled. "What happens when he has enough of you? What do you think I'm gonna do if he...?" Stopping mid sentence, Newt swallowed, _

"_If he what?" Gen questioned, "If he kills me?" She asked, moving slowly towards him. Too slowly. Newt gave a stiff nod, biting down hard on his bottom lip. "I promise I'll be good." Gen whispered, cupping his face in her cool hands and giving him no choice but to lock eyes with her, "Not another foot outta line. I promise." She smirked. Forcing a small smile, Newt couldn't help but chuckle lightly at her words. After all the time he had spent alongside her, she still thought she could lie to him. _

Opening his eyes, Newt snapped his head around at the alarmed cries from the Gladers who all followed Jorge and without even thinking, he moved after them, trying to listen in on what the group were saying, "Come on! Move it! Someone's coming!" A glader called out before being hushed by Jorge,

"Just keep moving." He snapped, "Where's Brenda?" Looking around him, Newt joined the others in their search for the brunette girl,

"Can't see her anywhere." Clint said in a low whisper, other voices chiming in to agree with him.

"Thomas is gone too." Minho hissed, "That shucking slinthead." He muttered under his breath. Searching the darkness before him, Newt exhaled. Both Brenda and Thomas were nowhere to be seen.


	28. It was Unbearable

Keeping her head down, Gen moved along with the group, her mind had cleared and instead she focused on the sounds of running feet that surrounded them. Cranks were after them. It was the only reasonable explanation, one that even Jorge agreed on. Running back the way the group came and back up the staircase, the group was greeted by the intense heat, causing immediate sweat to run down her brow.

"Keep moving." Jorge hissed, slowing his jog to a steady walk.

"We're not going anywhere, old man." Minho growled, moving up to walk alongside Jorge. "Thomas is still in there." He snapped.

"As is Brenda." Newt added, moving through the crowd to face Jorge. The pair of them had grown close and were protective of each other. That much was obvious.

_'Nik. We need to get outta here. Find Group B.' _Looking around, she noticed that Nik stiffened as her words reached him, unheard to those around them that listened to Jorge and Minho bicker.

_'And leave Group A to fend for themselves?' _was Nik's reply. _'They need us.' _Biting her lip, she felt her brow furrow, _'What's the point of being tortured to save someone if you're gonna leave them unprotected?' _

_'Minho's a big boy.'_

_'I'm talking about Newt.' _

_'How'd you know about that?' _Gen asked, looking towards Nik who wore a sombre expression, his eyes not daring to lock with hers,

_'I overheard.' _Smirking softly, Gen moved through the heat, through the crowd and towards the arguing duo.

"Where could Brenda and Thomas gone to?" She asked, causing Minho and Jorge to both frown at her,

"What's it to you, _Hermana?_" Jorge asked, crossing his arms over his chest and watching her with a look in his eyes that told her that he knew she was wanting to do something daring.

"I'll go back in, see if I can find them." She smiled sweetly. "Easy."

"The Cranks will kill you little girl." Jorge hissed.

"Than that's one less person you need to keep fed and hydrated." She shrugged. Jorge laughed softly,

"You think I'm stupid?"

"You're not gonna like my answer." Gen quipped, causing Nik to sigh. Jorge's laughter stopped abruptly and instead he took a step towards her,

"Answer my question. Are you brave or are you just longing for death that much?"

"Neither. We need Thomas and Brenda." She said, "Thomas is family and I'm sure that girl means quite a lot to you. What kind of people would we be if we forsake the people we care about?" She asked. "We can get them back and then head up to the meeting point." She said. "What do you say, Minho?" She asked, looking to Minho who had his arms crossed, "It's your say."

"We're getting them back, shuck." Minho said, his words aimed directly at Jorge who gave out a small sigh,

"Fine, we can move along towards the second exit. Knowing Brenda, that's where she's headed." He grumbled.

"Good. Let's go." Minho grunted, turning on his heel and moving along the shadows of the buildings, out of the direct sunlight. As the rest of the group followed Minho, Jorge's brow furrowed as Gen met his gaze, a mocking smile on her face.

"What game are you playing, _hermana?_" He asked.

"You wouldn't understand it even if I told you the rules." Gen replied, "Somehow I don't think you're the type that likes to lose, either." Shifting past him, Gen quickly moved with the group, leaving Jorge to bring up the rear.

"Gen." Looking over her shoulder, she saw Newt move up beside her, a seemingly confused expression on his face, "What's going on? One minute you look like your about to bloody pass out and now you're taking control?"

"As far as I can tell the world's gone to hell. No time to sit around sulking." She smiled, "Gotta keep going. Escape." She said, quickly averting her eyes from Newt's.

"There's something you're not telling me. What is it?" Newt asked, placing a steady hand on her shoulder.

"Well, I've just been thinking is all." Gen shrugged,

"About...?"

"What happens when everything stops. These trials I mean." She muttered, "Well, I know what happens to me, but I was just thinking what happens to everyone else. WICKED's not stupid. Why would they let us go? Or, well _you _lot go? It doesn't make sense. Minho's freaking volatile and Thomas is smarter than they think. It just doesn't-" Stopping herself, she took a small breath, "But, maybe that's just me being a cynic." She smirked. Newt shrugged his shoulders, a look in his eye that said that he had a thousand things on his mind- none of which would ever be spoken. Staring ahead, Gen's eyes found the back of Minho's head. He looked like the leader he was supposed to be. He walked like one. Spoke like one. But, Gen still had her doubts about him. He had a short temper, he _loved _to argue and saw the world as black and white. That was too many variables against him for Gen's liking... and now she had broken his heart. She was the one who left. She screwed up and she had to deal with the fall.

"Hey Gen?" Blinking, she forced herself to look at Newt once more,

"What?" She replied. Newt gave a weak smile.

"Will you... tell me what it was like?" He said.

"You mean..." Before she could continue, Newt gave a quick nod. He wanted to know about what WICKED had done. Taking a breath, she spoke,

"It was unbearable. Every second worse than the last." She said simply. "But, if it never happened, you'd be dead and I'd have to live with that." She said, her brow furrowing as she spoke, "Your blood would be on _my _hands. I have blood on my hands as it is. But, I would rather have a thousand strangers' blood on my hands than yours." She said, "So, don't go feeling guilty about my choices." Newt looked at his feet,

"I begged you to stay." He said.

"I just told you that they would have killed you if I had stayed." Gen muttered, a slight bitterness crept into her tone as she spoke. "I saved your life. So, deal with it quietly like Nik does." She mocked. Noticing the look on Newt's face, she forced a laugh that almost sounded believable even to her, "I'm fine. I'm here aren't I?" She smile. Newt forced a smile and gave a small nod,

"Yeah. Guess you are."


	29. Normal

The hours went on and on and the group continued to move towards where Jorge predicted Brenda and Thomas to emerge from.

"Alright. That's enough." Jorge's panted, "Take a break for awhile." He said, some of the Glader's giving out grateful sighs as they near collapsed to the ground. Looking around at the group, Gen's eyes lingered on the burns on their faces and their cracked lips. They needed a rest. But, Minho had been determined to keep going. The truth was, they would still be going if it weren't for Jorge. Moving towards Nik, Gen placed her hands on her hips,

"Still don't wanna go find your beloved?" She smirked. Nik rolled his eyes and took a sip of his water,

"Hilarious." He muttered, "Your boyfriend's pretty stubborn, isn't he."

"Not my boyfriend anymore... but, yes. Yes, he is." Gen agreed, looking over her shoulder, she found that her gaze fell onto Jorge who was watching her. As their eyes met, Jorge gave a small nod, signalling that he wanted her to approach him. More than likely so he could talk to her, whilst she smiled and nodded. Looking back to Nik, she gave out a sigh,

"I'm being summoned by our newest friend." She muttered, causing Nik to laugh,

"Try to remember the trouble your big mouth gets you into." He chuckled, his gaze shifting past her and onto Jorge. Following his gaze, she found Jorge wore an impatient expression. Whatever it was he had to say, he was under the impression that it was important. Taking a breath, she moved towards him, one foot in front of the other. It was the first time she had come close to him for hours. In truth, he scared her, just as his brother scared her. Stopping a metre in front of him, she swallowed,

"What's up?" She asked, raising her eyebrow slightly. Jorge's gaze didn't leave hers,

"We need to talk, _hermana_." He said.

"Sure." She replied, fighting the urge to make a smart-ass reply to make herself sound stronger than she really was. As Jorge moved towards one of the many dilapidated buildings, out of sight from where the others could see them, Gen followed at a short distance. When they were finally out of sight, Jorge turned to face her completely. Gen _hated _the way he looked at her. Like _she _was the liability. Like _she _was the one that needed a leash. "What's wrong?" She asked.

"You." He answered crisply, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Me?" She questioned, "I don't understand." She spoke softly, keeping her eyes locked onto his.

"You are the problem. You're a distraction." He 'explained'.

"I'm a distraction?" She exclaimed, "_I'm _the distraction? Are you shucking serious right now?" Gen cried, ignoring the fact that her voice was slowing rising. "I have done nothing to you."

"You've done nothing to me?" Jorge questioned. "Your presence affects me. You belong to Matias and that makes you a danger to everyone here."

"I don't care." She said, "Cause as soon as I get outta here, I'll kill him straight after I kill everyone who works for WICKED." She hissed, taking a daring step towards him.

"You're so brave, aren't you?" Jorge chuckled, "But, I've gotta hand it to you, Genevieve, you've got them all fooled." He said, nodding through the wall to where the Glader's would all be sitting. "But, Brenda and I know the truth... You're a coward."

"I'm a coward?" Gen questioned, "I risked my _life _to save someone else. To save Newt as a matter of fact." She hissed.

"How pathetic, using your friend to justify your cruelty, your selfishness. You're a killer, just like the rest of us. I can pick a killer a mile away. You got that look in your eyes. Tell me the truth, what do you plan to do when we reach the end? You cannot run from my brother. You can't kill him either." Jorge said, a small smile on his lips. Gen didn't answer, he was right in what he was saying and she understood his cold attitude towards her. She had heard Peter speak briefly about the two of them. About how Matias wanted to kill him. Her presence affected him more than she thought. Pushing past her, Gen's brow furrowed as Jorge spoke once more, "All you have is your fire, _hermana. _Remember that." Watching him leave, Gen's brow furrowed as she placed both hands on her head, taking deep breaths. Everything he said was correct.

"What's your problem, girly?" Closing her eyes, Gen ignored Minho, but nothing could drown out the sound of his footsteps moving towards her, until they were so loud that she had to open her eyes.

"Nothing." She answered. "Just had a chat with Jorge. Why are you here?" She asked, setting her gaze onto his face. He held no emotion. He simply stared.

"You were gone." He said, "Again." Taking a breath, Gen gave our an irritated sigh,

"Do whatever you've gotta do. You wanna hate me? You want me to leave? Go for it, do whatever you gotta do." She snapped. "I just want all of this to stop."

"I don't want to hate you." Minho replied. His tone was surprisingly soft, "I wanted to tell you that I want us to be... normal."

"Define normal."

"Back in the Glade normal." Minho answered. Gen smirked,

"That was a pretty crappy definition. You were a pain in the ass back in the Glade."

"Seems to me like I was the one saving your ass in the Glade, shuck-face." Minho retorted, trying to hide the smile that threatened to grace his hardened, burnt face. Gen had to admit, she had missed the boy and his smart mouth.

"Great. So you go back to being a pain in my ass and I go back to being the reckless shuck-face in need of saving." Gen smiled softly, "Like nothing ever happened."

"Sounds good to me." Minho replied, crossing his arms over his chest, "Last thing I need is a distraction, so try not to be needing my heroics too much." He mumbled more to himself than to Gen. Instead of responding however, she simply bit her lip and pushed past him,

"Good talk." She muttered, unsure as to whether or not he had heard her or not. Minho wanted things to go back to 'normal' whatever that meant, but, she'd rather him pretending their issues didn't exist than have him pretend _she _didn't exist.


	30. Newtie

As sweat dripped down her brow, Gen stared ahead at Newt. Something wasn't right. Well, she had established that he had changed. That the both of them had changed since her departure. But, there was something else. Something that was even worse. Something that the others hadn't noticed. Blinking, she felt her brow furrow. He was, like her, sitting by himself, his eyes locked onto the ground before him.

"Hey." Snapping her head around, a grin appeared on her face as her eyes locked with Nik's. She had been so distant. So... cold. That she had forgotten that they were family. That despite having little to no memory of him, she needed him in her life. More than ever.

"Hey." She replied, watching as he slumped down beside her, letting out a soft groan as he hit the burning pavement. "How you holdin' up?" He asked. It was probably the most serious she had heard him be since they had met... or well, reunited.

"Why?" She asked in reply, her attention falling back onto Newt.

"I heard about what happened with Jorge or whatever..." He murmured, his words lingering in the air around them. Gen didn't really know why he was whispering, everyone else around them were asleep, or pretending to. Either way, it still didn't matter whether they heard or not. Everyone knew what she was capable of. The monster that lay dormant, waiting for another victim to feed its hunger. In fact, Gen was thinking of calling the beast inside of her Matias. The name was fitting at least.

"I don't care what he has to say. You and I get through these trials and we're outta here." She replied. Nik raised an eyebrow,

"And these guys? What about them?"

"They can come too."

"What about Minho?" Nik then asked.

Gen smirked, "He's got his own little crusade. He won't come."

"You could always ask."

"Trust me, he won't come." Gen repeated a little louder so Nik understood that she was serious. That she wasn't just a bitter little girl with a broken heart. She knew Minho better than Nik _ever _would.

"What are you two talking about?" As both Gen and Nik both snapped their heads upward to look at the owner of the voice. Gen's brow furrowed, she hadn't even heard Newt move towards them.

"World domination." Nik said with a soft half-smile and a wink. Gen couldn't help but stifle a giggle, however, Newt seemed unamused, or at least, uninterested in Nik's humour.

"What's wrong, Newtie?" Gen asked, her eyes still locked onto Newt who wore the same blank look, his cracked lips parting ever so slightly.

"Yeah, what's up Newtie?" As Nik's words reached Newt's ears, his eyes flicked onto him and he even seemed to glare at him,

"She's the only one that gets to call me that." He snapped, surprisingly bitterly.

"Whoa, okay Newt. Calm down. No one else is gonna call you 'Newtie', got it, shank?" Gen smiled, snapping her head around towards Nik who wore a confused facial expression. As Nik's gaze fell onto her, Gen's smile broadened,

'_Get moving, shuck-face. I want to talk to Newtie.' _She told him.

'_Fine. Ask him why he's being such a grump for me.' _He replied before he silently got to his feet and gave both Gen and Newt a small nod. As soon as Nik was out of sight, Newt took his place beside her, staring straight ahead as he did so. Following his gaze, Gen frowned, he seemed to be staring at nothing at all.

"So, you gonna answer my question?" Gen asked, her eyes glued onto Newt.

"Hm? What bloody question?" He snapped, still not looking at her.

"Wow, someone woke up on the wrong side of the dirt patch." She couldn't help but tease, nudging Newt with her shoulder.

"Why are you and Minho not talking?" He asked, looking at her like she was a criminal being interrogated.

"I think you know why." Gen replied. "It doesn't take a genius to work that one out."

"I want to hear you say it." Newt said, "Just bloody talk to me Gen. Stop treating me like I don't shucking understand anything." He cried, a little too loudly for Gen's liking.

"Don't you get it? He _broke _my heart. Minho broke my shucking heart." She replied, "Is that what you wanted to hear? Are you satisfied now?" She asked frustratedly. Newt smirked, something else she didn't like,

"Yeah well, you broke his heart too." He shrugged. Gen fell silent, watching him as his gaze moved back ahead of him, there was something else. Something else that he wanted to tell her. Something that he needed to tell her. Biting his lip, he took a small breath, "You broke my heart." His words were barely audible, but Gen was able to catch each syllable, each word as they slowly passed his lips.

"What are you talking about, Newt?" She asked, trying to shrug off his comment as anything other than what it was.

"Didn't you hear me?" Newt asked, causing her nonchalant demeanour to shatter into a thousand tiny pieces. "You broke me heart." It was her turn to fall silent. To bite her lip as she searched for something to say. Anything.  
"Oh." She began. A poor start, but nothing else would escape her lips, "Why... why didn't you say something?" She asked, not daring to make eye-contact with him

"What was there to say? You're in love with one of my best friends..." Newt remarked bitterly, rubbing his hands together as if there was something he was trying to get off of them.

"I'm sorry, Newt." Gen stammered "I'm sorry for not seeing it, for not-"

"Feeling it back?" He finished for her, raising an eyebrow. Gen stared at him, unable to speak. She didn't believe it. She couldn't believe it. But, deep down, something inside of her made her want to throw herself off of a tall building for how stupid and blind she had been.

"You're never gonna bloody love me, Gen." Newt snapped, causing her to look back at him, "So what's the use?" Once again silence fell over the pair as Gen placed her head in her hands "Look, I get that you're upset... just like I get that Minho's upset. But... you can either be friends with someone or you can be in love with them... I don't think you can be both." And without another word, he stood, leaving her alone once more.


	31. Men aren't born to be Killers

Leaning forward, Peter placed his head in his hands. "Get out." He snapped, not looking at the man who gave a soft chuckle,

"You shouldn't speak to me like that." Matias said. "You know what happens to people who make me angry." He said. Looking back up at him, Peter sat back.

"You know, I don't believe men are born to be killers. So tell me, Mr. Alvares, who made you a killer? Or what?" Peter asked, his curiosity peaked as Matias sat back in his own chair, another laugh escaping his lips as he looked around at his men.

"I didn't come here to talk about me, Hermano." Matias snapped, a little too abruptly for Peter to shrug the comment off as a mere attempt at getting back on track. Peter had hit a nerve and if there was one thing he loved, it was pushing people until they broke, which was exactly what he was planning to do with Matias.

"Well, I'd like to talk about you. After all, you expect me to just hand over _my _subject to just any whack job? I would have you know I pick my whack jobs very carefully." He smiled, trying his hardest to pretend to be professional.

"I'm not in the mood to deal with your _mierda_ today." Matias hissed, crossing his arms over his chest. Peter nodded,

"Mierda... that means shit doesn't it?" He asked. Matias gave no reply, instead, he gave Peter a glare that would have made anyone who wasn't him wet themselves. But, Peter was very skilled at playing people. He played Janson, he played Chancellor Paige, hell he even played the great Andrew Sawyer and his bratty kids. Playing people was his speciality and playing Matias was child's play. "Here's the deal, you tell me about what made you a big bad psycho with a vendetta against all things sweet and pure and then we'll talk about Princess Kick-Your-Ass Sawyer." He said, his eyes flicking towards the two guards that stood either side of him, ready to blow Matias's head off should he make a move against him. Sighing, Matias shrugged his shoulders,

"Fine." He groaned, "Someone close to me was killed"

"Your father." Peter sighed, growing bored with the story before it even began. Matias paused, his eyes finally meeting with Peter's, something they had failed to do since he arrived.

"No." He answered. His eyes falling down, as quickly as they rose, onto the letter opener on his desk. Something that Peter guessed he would soon regret leaving on his desk.

"Then who?" He asked impatiently, tapping his fingers on the desk as Matias picked the letter opener up and flipped it around in his careful, well-trained fingers.

"A woman." Matias finally sighed, his eyes meeting Peter's for the second time, "In the end doesn't it always come down to the love of a woman? Even yourself. However, I at least don't fall for another man's wife and kill him out of jealous and spite." Matias hissed. Peter had to admit, even for Matias, that was a low blow. But, Peter was sure he probably deserved it. In fact, he was positive he deserved it.

"So tell me about this woman." Peter smirked, pretending that he never made the second comment.

"Her name was Sofia." Matias muttered, pulling something out of his pocket and tossing it towards Peter who caught it. Flipping it over, Peter worked out that it was a ripped photograph. A photograph of a woman. In the image she would have been around 18 years old with pale skin, dark brown, almost black hair and brown, oval shaped eyes. She was pretty and... pausing, Peter's brow furrowed as his eyes scanned the image over and over. She looked like Gen. Kind of. But still, the similarities were there, which sparked his interest.

"What happened?"

"She died. Before Denver cleared the area, there were a couple of Cranks roaming around the place, my family tried to escape, but my brother... Jorge. He got left behind... we were going to leave. I wanted to leave. But, Sofia wouldn't leave him behind. So... we went back for him...

"_Jorge!" Sofia called, running towards the collapsed building they once called home. _

"_Sofia!" Matias called after the girl, "Get back here. It's too dangerous. Come back." But, his shouts were in vain as Sofia ran into the house, disappearing in the smoke that filled his lungs. Stopping at the door, Matias peered in, holding his hand over his mouth, "Sofia!" He screamed. _

"_Matias! I need help." She called back and without a second thought, he jumped into the smoke, into the fire that had engulfed the house. _

"_Sofia?" Matias cried, trying to see through the thick smoke that burned his eyes, "Sofia, where are you?" _

"_Matias!" Sofia cried once more. Turning towards where her voice had come from, and running blindly. _

"_Sofia!" He called again before coming to a holt as he heard a fit of coughs, "Sofia." He tried to yell once again, but instead, it came out as a hoarse whisper as more smoke filled his lungs. Moving towards her, Matias set his eyes onto Jorge, who lay unconscious against the cracked wall, a large piece of concrete laying across his right leg. _

"_Help me move this." Sofia coughed. Giving a nod, Matias moved forward, helping her shift the concrete and pulling his brother upward and placing a hand around his waist while Sofia followed them, coughing madly. Making their way out of the house, Matias collapsed to the ground, with Jorge and was surprised as a couple of men ran forward, _

"_It's okay." The first rushed, wrapping a blanket around Matias's shoulders as the other tended to Jorge, "My name is Andrew Sawyer." The man introduced himself, "You and your brother were lucky to get out." He said, "we'll get you out of Denver until it's safe." _

"_Where's Sofia? Is she okay?" Matias breathed, gripping onto Andrew's shoulder. _

"_Who's Sofia? Was there another with you?" He asked. Before Matias could speak, he heard the sound of the house collapsing and the flames flickering and without a moment to spare, he sprang to his feet and ran towards the burning house, only to have Andrew wrap his arms around him, _

"_It's too late, son! She's gone. It's too late." Andrew was screaming as Matias fought against his hold, screaming out Sofia's name. She was gone. She was dead. _

"Well, Andrew Sawyer really did screw you over, didn't he?" Peter laughed as Matias's story came to an end, "He got your girl killed. Then he killed your crazy father. Tried to arrest you when you killed his men... not that I blame him for that. Only to die before you could get your revenge. That must sting." He smirked. As soon as the words passed his lips, Peter immediately regretted his words and regretted them even more when Matias drove the letter opener into through the back of his hand and into the desk. Giving out a small cry, the first thing Peter did was hold the other hand up, to signal for the two guards to stand down, which they did.

"You wanted to know what made me a killer. I told you. Just because I lost someone, doesn't make me anything less than a murderous psychopath." He grinned, "Or are you forgetting that... Hermano." He whispered before removing the letter opener and slowly licking the blood off of it before placing it down in front of him whilst Peter clung to his bloodied hand, refusing to show any weakness in front of him.

"That wasn't very nice." Peter hissed.

"I'm not a nice person." Matias replied, "You know, I never told you about what I did to the other guy that was with Sawyer when _she_ died. You see, I wanted Sawyer to feel what I felt by taking away those who meant the most to him. Damon, I believe his name was... when I found him, he tried to help me. Tried to tell me there were other ways of dealing with my grief. But, I didn't feel grief, only anger." Matias chuckled, his eyes closing briefly as if he was remembering the incident, "So, do you know what I did?" He asked,

"Tell me, Matias." Peter grumbled.

"I beat his head in while his wife watched and then drowned her in the bath tub." He said.

"Of course you did." Peter sighed, rolling his eyes. "Okay, I think that's enough Q and A for one day."

"You wanted to know how I became a killer. So there you go, you heard the tale of my heartbreak and my first kill." He smiled. "I mean... kills. So, do us all a favour and stop wasting your energy trying to play me for a fool." Any snark Peter had riddled over his features disapeared as Matias's words reached his ears. Peter had foolishly underestimated Matias. A mistake he would not make again.

"You want us to deliver the girl." Peter said, returning to the topic of business that caused Matias to venture to WICKED.

"Of course. You expect me to walk into a trap?" Matias asked. Peter bit his lips, his original plan was to gun them down when they picked Genevieve up. But, he supposed that was out the window.

"Well, sure. No problem. I'll deliver her myself. Right to your doorstep with a little bow and a card."

"Good. I'm glad we've finally done business. And don't forget. You cross me, I'll make sure you die screaming." He said with a shrug. He didn't even use a threatening tone, but he had to admit, Matias's way of dealing with things that annoyed him was both fascinating and terrifying.

"So, you get little Sofia 2.0 and I become a very rich man. That's the deal right?" Peter asked. Matias said nothing as he rose from the chair, snatching the picture of Sofia back from Peter and turning on his heel,

"I will be seeing you very soon." He said as he and his men left Peter's office, slamming the door behind them,

"Yes... that you will..."


	32. The Proud and Stupid

Looking across the burning hot, desert-like hell that Peter had thrown Gen and Nik into, Gen pulled the dirty sheet further over her head in a poor attempt to keep the heat from making direct contact with her skin. She had managed to find her own little perch that was high enough to make Minho look insignificant, with a piece of scrap metal that even acted like a roof. But, Minho wasn't the one she was avoiding, contrary to popular belief by the rest of the group. She was actually avoiding Newt, who had decided that it was the perfect time to confess his... affections... for her. But, aside from avoiding Newt, it gave her a second to think about everyone else: Matias, Peter, Nik, Thomas, The Brenda girl she hated and Teresa.

"Where... are you...?" Gen mumbled to herself, as if there was some way that she would hear her and reply.

"I knew a man who spoke to himself. He was insane, _hermana._" Jorge's voice was ringing in her ears. It was the first voice she had heard other than hers for over three hours. Which was rather unsettling when she thought about it.

"Maybe I am crazy." She mumbled in reply, not bothering to look over her shoulder at Jorge, whom she imagined wore a smug look. "Aren't you burning up here?" She asked.

"Aren't you?" Jorge replied. Gen said nothing, listening as he moved up beside her and squeezed in beside her underneath the thin metal scrap that acted as shelter from the direct light that would surely burn her.

"Trust me. I've had worse." Gen muttered bitterly, pulling her knees to her chest and resting her chin upon them. "I'd rather be here than the latter."

"Peter must have really had it out for you, _hermana_." Jorge replied lightly. Gen quickly turned her head to look at him. He had captured her attention.

"You know Peter?" She asked. Jorge nodded a few times, staring out at the desert before them. "Unlucky you." Gen then said when Jorge gave her no reply. "I guess it makes sense you knowing him... Matias knows him pretty well." She said. She didn't care if Jorge was ignoring her. In fact, she would have felt better if he _did _ignore her. But instead, he spoke,

"Matias knows every piece of scum there is to know."

"Funny that Peter fits that description." Gen chuckled, despite the fact that there was nothing funny in what Jorge said. "Hey Jorge?"

"Mm?"

"Do you think Matias is going to hurt me?" Gen asked.

"Certainly." Jorge answered, not bothering to fabricate his answer.

"Do you think he'll kill me?" This time Jorge was silent, taking a deep breath before he turned his head to face her,

"No." He said, "But, by the end of it, you'll wish he would." There was another wave of silence as Gen thought of something witty to say. Something that made it out that she wad fine. That she wasn't scared of Matias or what he had in stored for her. "Matias is a man who does not tolerate disobedience." Jorge said, breaking the silence, "And you're a girl who aims to misbehave. But, perhaps he will find your insolence charming. Matias is a strange man." Jorge finished, choosing to fabricate his answer too late for it to mean anything to Gen who simply nodded in reply. Allowing her eyes to drop, she kept them locked onto the line that separated the shadow of the piece of scrap metal with the sunlight. It was clear. Concise. Like a safety net. Tilting her head, she didn't even realize that Jorge was still talking. "Do not underestimate my brother. You should fear him."

"Nothing scares me. Not anymore." Gen said, running her fingers along the concrete underneath them, closer and closer to the line. The closer they got, the warmer the concrete was. Over the line, she kept going, stopping when the line ran over her wrist. At first, Gen didn't feel anything, but as the seconds past, the pain hit all at once, like someone had set her hand on fire. But, she stayed still, watching in silence. It was self-discipline. Practise for the real thing when the trials were over. She needed to be strong. Fearless. Just like Minho was. "_Hermana! _What are you doing?!" Jorge was yelling at her, grabbing her arm and pulling back across the line and into the shade. But the damage had already been done. Biting her lip, Gen watched as her hand trembled, the blisters decorating the red skin nicely. "What have you done, you stupid girl?" Jorge hissed, throwing her hand back into her lap and narrowing his eyes.

"It doesn't hurt." Gen shrugged, "This is just proof that I can handle Peter and Matias." She spoke with pride, a pride that anyone who knew her would detect was just for show. In reality, the pain was near unbearable, but it was nothing compared with her fear and deep down, she hoped that the trials would kill her. Just so Matias wouldn't. Slipping down the hole that would allow her to return to the sand below, Gen felt Jorge's eyes watching her. He thought she was insane. He would have had to. If Gen was Jorge, that's what she would have thought. In some ways, Gen preferred them to think she was completely nuts, it was better than being a coward. As her feet hit the ground, She pulled the sheet back over her head and moved towards the dilapidated building that the others hid in. As soon as the sun set, they'd be on the move again, Thomas and Brenda weren't that far off according to Jorge. Looking back up to her perch, she caught sight of Jorge who remained where she had left him, his gaze locked out onto the land, just as hers once were. As she slipped in between the crack in the wall, Gen was careful to conceal her hand behind the sheet as she moved through the crowd of boys who laid lazily around on the concrete, snoring softly. She didn't get how they could sleep in the heat. But, then again, most of them hadn't slept for days and had probably just passed our from the lack of sleep. Looking around at the faces, she noticed Clint and Nik to be among the sleeping.

"You stupid shuck." Gen mumbled, shaking her head as she nudged Nik with her toe, "You're supposed to be awake so I can talk to you." She frowned, kneeling down beside him and tilting her head. He didn't move. "Who the shuck am I gonna talk to now? Jorge is depressing. Clint's also passed out and Minho's-"

"Oh, I'm excited for this one."

"A slinthead who shouldn't eavesdrop on private conversations." Gen finished with a slight irritation, turning to look at Minho who moved towards her, steeping over the bodies.

"The guy's asleep." Minho argued, "Doesn't count as eavesdropping." Blinking, Gen didn't reply. How was she supposed to reply to that? Arguing with Minho was a painful as it was pointless. He had to be right. He _HAD _to be. No matter how wrong he was.

"I'm guessing you want something." Gen said as Minho stopped in front of her.

"You're a genius." He grinned, placing his hands on his hips.

"My silence is your cue to continue, moron." Gen snapped, rolling her eyes.

"Someone's cranky." Minho quipped, "And it's not just you." He added with a wink. Rising to her feet with her sheet still wrapped around her burnt hand, Gen raised an eyebrow,

"Again. Silence. Cue."

"Newt, slintface." Minho said, "What'd you do to him?"

"I didn't do anything." Gen said softly, "Why?"

"Because he doesn't wanna talk about you. Which is weird. Cause he always wants to talk about you." Minho said, shrugging his broad shoulders, "Figured you did something."

"Did he actually tell you I did something or are you just making assumptions?" Gen smirked.

"Well, when shanks don't wanna talk about other shanks, usually mean that shank's done something to piss that shank off." Minho said, taking a step closer to Gen and placing a hand on her shoulder, "You should talk to him. Get him to stop being a shuck." Gen froze, not because he was talking. In fact, it had nothing to do with what he was saying. He touched her. It was like how they were... before everything fell apart. Watching as Minho's hand trailed down her arm, Gen felt a small smile spread across her face, until he reached the sheet. "What's this?" He asked. Pulling away from him, Gen's smile faded,

"Nothing. I'll talk to Newt." The pair locked eyes and for a moment, everything was okay. Everything was normal. But then Minho turned his heel and moved away. He was going... going... going... and then gone. Just like that.


	33. Migraine

They had started moving again and still, Gen had not spoken to Newt. She was too scared too. She didn't want to lose him and yet, ignoring the problem was going to cause her to lose him anyway. Either way, she was going to lose him. Walking alongside Nik and Minho, Gen stared ahead, more pleased that she was able to follow Jorge who led the group. Another upside was that she and Minho were talking. Joking even.

"Maybe Brenda and Thomas hooked up and that's why we can't find them?" Minho suggested. Since they had started moving, Minho and Gen had been arguing, or more debating about the whereabouts of Brenda and Thomas.

"Really? I hope you're not jealous about that, Minho." Gen smirked, nudging him softly with her elbow.

"Me? Jealous? Of Thomas? Please, the guy's got a shuck lookin' face. In fact, I think I'd be more jealous of that slinthead Ratman than Thomas." Minho said, crossing his arms over his chest as he stepped over a broken piece of wood that inherently Nik had tripped over seconds after him.

"Ha! You're so full of klunk, Minho." Gen scoffed.

"I'm sorry, but looks to me that I'm still the leader." Minho pointed out, pulling down his collar so that Gen could see his tattoo. "And what was yours? Some stupid bird that catches on fire?"

"It's called a Pheonix, dumbass."

"That's a stupid name." Minho said, his brow furrowing.

"Actually, Minho is a stupid name, but alas, I can see why you would be confused." Gen said calmly, batting her eyelids innocently. Snapping his head around to look at her, Minho frowned.

"Rude."

"Would you have me any other way?" Gen asked, the words slipping out of her mouth before she could reconsider them. As expected, Minho drew back, his hands slipping into his pockets,

"Guess not." He shrugged, his discomfort clear on his face as he spoke. "But, you're not mine, so I don't care what you're like-"

"As if you could change who I am anyway." Gen interrupted.

"Well, you are stubborn. And trust me, I have a whole list of things I'd change if I could." Minho spat.

"Ah, I don't think you this is really... a happy topic of conversation, guys." Nik interjected in a poor attempt to stop the anger and rage already bubbling over.

"Shut up, Nik." The pair both snapped before they simultaneously stopped and faced each other, causing the group to slow down, each of their heads snapped around to watch the ongoing argument.

"And what? You think you're a saint just because you're the leader?" She snapped.

"I'm not the one who betrayed everyone." Minho quipped.  
No, you don't get to say that. You have _no _idea what they put me through. What they put _us _through." Gen growled, gesturing to Nik who was silent.

"Yeah, you've got this big sob story. Big deal, girly. Our friends have _died. _And you've just gotta make everything about you, don't you?" Minho growled, moving closer as he spoke.

"I'm not making this about me. _You're _making this about me."

"That's because you're constantly stuck in my goddam head. You're like a shucking migraine I can't shake. I can't pretend things are okay. I won't."

"Is that why you and me aren't great together?" Gen asked. Minho was about to open his mouth before being cut off.

"Minho. That's bloody enough!" It was Newt who cried out as he limped through the crowd, drawing both Minho and Gen's attention. "Can we just get through this bloody thing without you two bickering every bloody five minutes."

"You know that I'm right Newt." Minho announced, pointing his finger at Gen, "She's the one who's causing problems."

"The way I see it, you both are causing problems." Newt growled in return, causing Minho's finger to drop. "Last time I checked, you" he began, looking towards Minho, "are the one who stopped _functioning_ when Gen was stung by a Griever and you" He continued looking then to Gen who was silent, "are the one who ran into the bloody maze to get this shuckface. So, do us all a favor and just get back together." And without another word, Newt limped back into the crowd, passing Jorge who wore a wide smile. Keeping her eyes locked onto Jorge, Gen didn't have the guts to look to Minho who was watching her. Jorge didn't say anything, but the small raise on his eyebrow spoke the words for him. 'You're going to ruin them.'

"_Gen. Just keep walking. This wasn't your fault, Minho was the one who started it." _Nik reassured her as he passed, gently taking a hold of her arm and tugging her along beside him.

"_It is." _Gen replied, her gaze finding Newt who as their gaze met, averted his eyes, _"He loves me, you know? He loves me and I can't do anything to make it stop." _

"_Why does it need to stop?" _Nik asked, his brow furrowing and his eyes finding her face even though they weren't actually speaking.

"_Because I don't want to break his heart even more than I already have." _Gen said.

"_Then tell him. He's not a mind reader... I don't think." _Nik replied, a small chuckle escaping his lips.

"Fine." Gen said, this time using her actual speech to communicate with her brother who's eyes widened as she pushed him away and quickened her pace.

"Wait, I wasn't being serious!" Nik called after her. But, he knew her well enough to know that once she had set her mind to something, she wasn't going to quit.

"Hey, Newt!" Gen called, catching up to the taller boy and grabbing his bicep, "We need to talk."

"About what?" Newt asked, his gaze not meeting hers like it usually did.

"About us."

"There is no us." Newt said.

"So what? We're not even friends anymore?" Gen asked, this time causing Newt to make eye-contact with her. Only, that time, she wished he hadn't.

"What do you bloody want?" He asked with more force than she believed him possible of.

"To know what your problem is." Gen said, "No, actually, scratch that. I know what your problem is. So, now I'm going to fix it." She grumbled, grabbing his arm and dragging him behind one of the large concrete walls that shielded them from the rest of the Gladers who kept moving.

**A/N: I know Minho is being very hot and cold at the moment, I just feel that would be the way he would act around someone whom he cares for, but doesn't want to admit to caring for them. As for Newt, well, in the book he had a very minor role, but I have portrayed him as bitter mostly due to how he is in Death Cure and the fact that he is going through... 'changes' Hope you enjoyed** **this chapter.**


	34. Whatever It Takes

Shoving Newt back against the broken concrete wall, Gen crossed her arms over her chest. Newt slowly pushed himself off of the wall, his glowering gaze locked onto her, he had a darkness about him that Gen was trying to work out. But, what he didn't know, was that Nik and Gen were far more darker than he would ever know.

"C'mon Newt. Show me what you've got." Gen said nonchalantly, letting her arms fall to her side.

"What the bloody hell are you on about?" Newt snapped in reply. Gen, almost instinctively rolled her eyes in reply. Which seemed to only make his eyes grow darker.

"Go ahead and hit me. Show me what you've got. Trust me when I say I've had a _lot _worse than whatever you've got." Gen said, shifting her weight from one foot to another. She wanted him to do it. To just get rid of the rage that he was keeping inside of him. She saved him. She endured hours of torture for him and all he could do was hate her in return. "Let's go Newtie. Give me your best shot." She said a little louder, holding her arms up, inviting him to take the shot. Without a word, Newt stepped forward, looking down at Gen's face. He was furious, but there was no hint in his eyes that he wanted to fight. There was nothing at all... just pity. "No? That's not good enough?" Gen asked. Newt was silent, almost as if he was curious to see where the conversation was headed. It was like it was all a game to him. But all she wanted was him back... he and her back to... them. How they were before everything was destroyed. "You want me to want you back?" She asked, "Fine. I'm yours... Just stop being like this. Please." Gen said, placing her hands on both of his shoulders and causing his brow to furrow, "Can't you hear me?" She then asked.

"You don't want me. You're just trying to tell me things I want to bloody hear." Newt said lightly, trying to retain his composure.

"Fine. I'll prove it then." She snapped, leaning in to kiss him. For a moment, Newt leaned towards her, but before their lips touched, he pulled away from her.

"That's enough." He said, the crease in his brow softening, "I want you to kiss me because you want to. Not because you feel guilty." Newt said. Gen bit her lip,

"I don't know what you want from me, Newt. How the shuck am I supposed to fix something I don't even know is broken?" She hissed.

"I am sorry." Newt said, his eyes dropping, "I know that whatever they did to you was horrible and I know that it is because of me. That'll bloody stay with me until I die." Newt said. He felt _sorry _for her. Gen frowned, her gaze locking with his for only a moment longer before she shoved him back against the wall as hard as she could.

"No. You don't get to feel sorry for me. I'm not broken. I don't need your sympathy, Newt." Gen said, although her bottom lip was trembling. Just as she had witnessed before with Peter back in the Glade, something in Newt's mind seemed to snap and his soft, sympathetic look turned to one of rage.

"You keep going on about how you saved me and how that's some big excuse you can use to change what you did... but the bloody truth is... you didn't save me for me... you did it for you." Newt said.

"So what? Maybe I just can't let you go, Newt. Shame on me for still needing you." Gen hissed.

"And that makes you bloody selfish. You don't want me and you never have. You just want me along for the ride.. Someone to lean on when that shuck Minho pisses you off and then when it all blows over, you'll just run back to him like-" Without a word, Gen quickly punched him in the face as hard as she could, without a single word entering her mind.

"Why are you doing this to me? I have done nothing to you." Gen growled at Newt whilst he held his busted lip.

"You know I'm bloody right." He hissed in reply, "You use people and then throw them away-" Grabbing onto the collar of his shirt, Gen pushed him back against the wall,

"Shut up! Just shut up! Don't talk anymore! Nothing! I should have just left you to die!" As her words lingered around them, Newt raised both of his eyebrows,

"Are you done?" He asked. Gen said nothing, stepping back away from Newt and watching as he pushed himself off of the wall.

"I'm sorry, Newt." She forced out, her eyes meeting his cold gaze, "I shouldn't have done that. I just wanted things to be better." She said.

"Don't bother. It's klunk you say all the time." Newt said lightly, "It's just who you are." Gen watched him in silence, he wasn't mad anymore... no, there was hurt in his eyes.

"I can change." Gen said softly.

"I hope so." Newt replied, moving forward and slowly pecking her on the cheek. "I didn't think you'd fall so bloody far... I don't think I even know who you are anymore." Gen said nothing, watching as he moved away from her to join the rest of the ex-gladers. She had just made things so much more worse than they had to be. But, that was what she was good at: Pushing away the people that mattered the most to her.

"I screwed up." She muttered to herself, placing both of her hands on top of her head and gritting her teeth, she hated herself for losing both Minho and Newt, "I lost them both..."

"Yes. Yes, you did." A voice greeted her. Turning to face the stranger, her eyes widened as the figure pushed her back against the same wall she had pushed Newt up against, the barrel of a gun aimed in between her eyes. "You're just a toxic little thing, aren't you, _Soldadito_?" Gen couldn't speak. She could barely breathe as the man who haunted her stood before her, reminding her that he was very much so real and not a figment of her imagination as she had hoped.

**A/N: Another chapter for my amazing readers xx Hope you liked it!**


	35. Demon of the Scorch

"I'm glad that your friends are slowly turning their backs on you...it'll make it easier when all this ends." The man whispered, his face inching closer to hers. He was alone, which surprised Gen, but still, she was too terrified to move away from him.

"Leave me alone." Gen whimpered, her gaze locked into Matias's cold, dead eyes. Smirking, Matias lowered the gun and placed a hand against the wall beside her head, his eyes looking her up and down.

"You look stunning if it isn't obvious." He said, tilting his head as he spoke. She was covered in sweat, blood and dirt, but still his gaze didn't leave her.

"What do you want?" She asked, swallowing hard.

"I wanted to see you." Matias said, pushing himself back and grinning at her. "I want us to start over." He said after Gen didn't speak, "I think we can be friends."

"You're insane." Gen hissed, "All this!" She began gesturing around her, "Is because of you! You and Peter! I lost Minho, I lost Newt! All of this is because of you!" She cried.

"And I am sorry about that, _Soldadito_." He said. Gen watched him, he almost seemed... genuine. "I know how much you care for Minho." He said, flashing her a suggestive grin.

"Minho and I are just friends." Gen spat, causing Matias to laugh,

"Do you honestly think I didn't do my homework on you and your so called 'friend'?" Matias asked. "I know all about you and Minho."

"Yeah? Well, so what? Whatever you think you know... you're wrong." Gen said. Matias smirked,

"Yeah? I know that you're not _friends._" He said. "You'll never be friends... You'll be in love until it kills you both... which it eventually will."

"Gen!? Where the shuck are you?" It was Minho who was calling after her.

"Oh... do I get to meet the infamous Minho?" Matias asked, his grin etching farther across his face.

"Stop it." Gen hissed, pushing Matias away from her, "Leave me alone!" However, Matias, who seemed to be in a playful mood, grabbed both of her arms and pushed her back against the wall, pushing his body up against hers.

"Don't be like that." He cooed. Gen could see Jorge in him, he was a more psychotic version of him, but alas, she could easily believe that the pair were brothers. "I know you think I'm a monster... but I'm here to help." He told her.

"Gen! Answer me!" Minho called once again,

"You know... I'm surprised your buddy, Newt hasn't said anything. He was just with you after all... maybe he's hoping you _are_ gone." He teased. When Gen gave no response, Matias's playful expression changed to a sinister one in a mere second, like he flipped a switch. "Call out to him." He said calmly, yet there was still a hint of danger in his tone.

"No."

"Call his name, Soldadito." He repeated, his frustration growing with every second of her insolence. Pausing for a few more seconds, Matias chuckled, lifting the gun and aiming it in between her eyes once more, "Don't test me, love." He whispered.

"Go ahead." Gen replied, "You want somebody to shoot? Well shoot me." She cried, a little too loudly.

"Gen?" The voice belonged to Nik, but Gen didn't take her eyes off of Matias as she heard Nik and the others move towards her, '_Gen. Are you okay? Talk to me!_' Even though Matias could not hear him, or her if she had chosen to reply to Nik's urgent message, she remained silent. As if everything inside of her had switched off.

"Who the shuck are you?" Minho growled, causing Gen to snap her head around to look and he, Nik and Newt who all watched them, their eyes locked more onto Matias than her. "Point that thing somewhere else, slinthead." Minho threatened, his hands curling into fists. Matias smirked, the gun falling to his side before he turned his attention to the three boys,

"My guess is that you're Minho." He said.

"What's it to you?" Minho grunted in reply.

"Well, seeing as how Genevieve here is mine, I guess anyone she knows... I want to know." Matias said.

"She doesn't belong to you." Nik said, in a timid voice. He was scared of Matias... and rightfully so.

"My name is on her. That makes her mine." Matias said, trying not to laugh as he spoke. It was all a joke to him. He knew he could beat Minho and so did everyone else... but Minho.

"You must be M. Alvares then." Newt said quietly, his gaze shifting to Gen.

"Matias. Pleasure, I'm sure... Newt, is it?" Newt didn't give a reply, instead he kept his gaze locked onto Gen.

"Well, you know what. I'm going to kill you." Minho growled, moving towards Matias who grinned, "I'll kill you for what you did to her!"

"Minho! No!" Gen cried, pushing past Matias in an attempt to run to Minho. However, Matias moved forward and grabbed the back of her collar, pulling her towards him. Before she could speak, Matias placed his forearm around her neck and the barrel of the gun against her temple.

"How about we all just calm down?" Matias asked.

"C'mon Matias..." Gen growled, trying to rip Matias's arm from her neck, "Stop playing games and just make your move. Shoot me!" Gen felt Matias drop the gun before he threw her to the ground,

"Wow... You know... I heard how much Peter screwed you up. But... I never did he think he turned you into me." He laughed, "I don't wanna kill you, my love... Quite the contrary actually. I'm here to keep you alive... Just so that I get to make sure, first hand that Peter fulfils his side of the deal." He explained as Gen scrambled to her feet and ran into Minho's arms. She felt... automatically safe as he wrapped her arms around her, planting a gentle kiss on the top of her head."Well, isn't that nice." Matias smiled, moving forward. "I love, love... Speaking of love... you haven't seen my brother have you? Tall... obnoxious... likes to use _hermano _for people who are not his brothers..." He said trailing off.

"Jorge will be with the others." Gen said, not daring to let go of Minho as she spoke. More out of concern at what he would do if she gave him full reign to do as he pleased.

"Lovely, well then... shall we?" Matias asked, raising his eyebrows as he spoke. Gen had no choice but to give a nod as she moved with her brother and her friends back towards the group, followed by the most dangerous man she had ever encountered.


	36. Friends?

The group of ex-Gladers were, to say the least, surprised to see Minho, Gen, Newt and Nik joined by the new man. The man that Minho hated before even meeting; Matias Alvares- Jorge's brother. He was the one who hurt Gen. Who branded his name into her back... the man who apparently _owned _her. But, Minho would much rather die than allow him to take her. Keeping his arm wrapped around Gen, he didn't look back at Matias who trailed behind them, his backpack thrown over his shoulder. He could feel his eyes burning a hole into the back of his head. All of it was a game to the mad man and it seemed not even Minho's threats could wipe the smug smile off of his face. Reaching the group, Gen squeezed out of his hold and moved towards Nik, her brow furrowed, leaving Minho to turn his attention to Matias who pushed past him, a small chuckle escaping his lips when Minho shoved him back. He wanted to hurt him, hurt him like he hurt Gen. But, Minho knew that the last thing Gen wanted was for him to start a fight.

"Hello, hello." Matias smiled as he meandered his way towards a wide-eyed Jorge. "Long time no see, huh?"

"Matias..." Jorge replied, a slight pause after he spoke before he lunged at Matias, grabbing onto his collar and lifting him into the air. If that wasn't weird enough, what annoyed Minho the most was that A) It wasn't him lunging at Matias and B) Matias did nothing to stop him. "What're ya doing here, hermano." He growled. Minho could see the resemblance between them, not just in appearance, but also in how they acted.

"I'm here to help." He replied calmly.

"I don't believe you." Minho snapped, moving towards he and Jorge.

"Of course you don't" Matias interjected as Jorge dropped him back down onto his feet, "I hurt the one you love and for some reason you non-sociopaths just can't see past that-" Minho was sure that he would have continued to speak if it weren't for his fist colliding with Matias's face. As he staggered back, holding his jaw, the same smug smile on his face; the boiling rage within Minho boiled over. Just as Jorge did before him, Minho lunged at Matias, except, _unlike _Jorge, he tackled Matias to the ground, both of his fists colliding with his face in a steady rhythm. He didn't want to stop and even if he did, he couldn't. The rage was too much. He could hear the others screaming his name and he could feel both Jorge and Newt's hands pulling on his shoulders, trying to rip him off of Matias who laughed in between punches.

"Minho!" As her voice reached him, he stopped, panting as Matias's head fell back against the hard ground, blood trickling down his chin as he grinned. Allowing his arms to drop to his side, he allowed Jorge and Newt to pull him off of Matias. Minho kept his gaze locked onto Matias, who looked away from him and set his eyes onto something else that cause his grin to fade. Following his gaze, Minho found that Gen was moving towards him, a knife in her hand.

"You have ten seconds to tell us why you're here before I kill you." Gen said. The words were foreign to Minho, or at least... they were when they came from her mouth. But, it seemed to have gotten Matias's attention as he scrambled to his feet, picking up the back pack that had been flung to the ground after Minho had tackled him.

"Well..." He began, exhaling loudly. "I'm here to help you, as I said before your boyfriend attacked me, Soldadito."

"Not my boyfriend." Gen interupted, drawing Minho's eye and causing Matias to raise his eyebrow,

"Not the point." he retorted, wiping the blood from his mouth and wiping it onto his shirt.

"If you want the girl, take her and leave." Jorge said, his tone similar to that of Matias's.

"No one is taking Gen anywhere." Newt said softly, drawing the attention towards him. He had been fairly quiet throughout the whole ordeal, which made his sudden interjection surprising to Minho. "She stays..." Newt then said. Minho waited for Gen to look at him, or even Newt, but mostly him. He wanted Gen to acknowledge what he was doing for her, that he had done so much more than Newt, but... she didn't. Instead, she kept her gaze locked onto the one person he didn't want her to look at: Matias. The silence that had fallen over the startled crowd was broken by the sound of Matias's laugh,

"You lot are thick, aren't ya?" He chuckled for a minute before frowning slightly at Newt who crossed his arms, "I'm here to help you guys." He said for the third time, this time swinging around so he could look at the entire group before setting his gaze back onto Newt. "You see... I was getting bored being all by myself... unfortunately Peter isn't the most entertaining person... but, you'd know about that, wouldn't you, love?" He then asked, looking to Gen who's head snapped up from the spot on the ground she had been staring at,

"Shut up." She hissed, moving forward so that she and Matias were a few inches apart. He was at least a head taller than her, and wore a dark smile as he continued to glare at him. "I want you to leave. Go back to Peter and tell him whatever you want. I don't care." She snapped. Matías once again chuckled,

"I don't answer to Peter. I don't answer to you either." He added, raising his eyebrow slightly, "Basically, Soldadito, I think we should start over."

"You branded me." Gen replied, reminding the group of the hell that she had been through before she had found her way back to them. And reminding Minho of what a shuckface he had been when he had treated her like a traitor. But, it was too late to fix things, Gen was under the impression that he didn't trust her... which, in some ways he didn't. But, he still wanted her more than he wanted his own freedom... the only issue was, so did Newt and he had already burned his bridge when he had forced Gen to end things between them... yet, the thought of her being with anyone else, made him sick. So, basically, Minho wanted her, but at the same time didn't because another wanted her and yet, wanted no one else to be with her. Guess that was just his stubbornness mixed in with his stupidity talking.

"Hm, that was a bad day for me." Matias replied with a shrug. After Gen gaze to response, Matias pursed his lips, "Would you'd 'ave been happier if I killed you?" He asked sarcastically. Gen however stood her ground,

"If you wanted to kill me, I'd already be dead, shuck."

"There's still time, Soldadito." Matias replied, before his brow furrowed, "What's a shuck?"

"You." Minho said in a low growl. Everytime the man opened his mouth, Minho had the urge to punch it... again. Looking over his shoulder, Matias flashed him a small, curious smile before he quickly looked him up and down and turned his attention back to Gen,

"I like him."

"Good for you." Gen replied. Matias once again smiled before he swung the backpack from his shoulder and unzipped it.

"Look, I even got you a... peace offering." He said, rummaging through the bag as he spoke. Moving forward, Minho tried his best to peer into the bag, ready to act if he pulled out anything that could hurt Gen or anyone else in the group. However, instead of a knife, gun or anything else that had popped into Minho's mind, the most dangerous man in Denver, according to Gen, pulled out a stuffed bear. "Ta da." He grinned, holding the bear out to Gen who kept a serious expression, her arms crossed over her chest.

"Okay, that's it, slinthead-" Minho began, once again moving towards Matias who sighed,

"That tempers going to get you in trouble, Minho." He said with a slight pout, "It's already driven Genevieve away... basically all of your friends away..."

"You think my temper is bad with her?" Minho asked, as Matias moved the bear in front of his face, "I like Gen. I don't like you." He growled, moving forward and ripping the bear from Matias's hands. Before Minho could speak once more, Gen had already spoken,

"You can stay." She said. "I'll let you help us."

"Huh, in what world does that make sense?" Matias grinned, "But, I'm glad that you've come to your senses." He said, grabbing the bear back from Minho and tossing it towards Gen who caught it. "Let's go pick up Thomas and Brenda then, huh?" Matias grinned, moving past Jorge. No one bothered to ask how he knew about what they were trying to do and to be honest, Minho didn't care. All he cared about was getting the hell outta the scorch and saving Gen.


	37. A Little Chat

Gen was silent, moving behind the group with her back pack slung over one shoulder and the stuffed bear tucked under her arm. She was staring ahead, her eyes locked onto the back of Matias's head the entire time. Even when he turned his head around to look at her, she didn't falter. Not even the mocking smirk or the seductive wink could cause her gaze or expression to change. She didn't trust him. But, Peter had taught her to keep her friends close and her enemies closer.

"The tunnel should be just ahead." Jorge announced to the group, not looking back at them as he spoke. However, when his younger brother cleared his throat, he stopped dead in his tracks and turned to face him. "What?" He snapped, his eyes narrowing with fury.

"This tunnel you're talking about. I've met the girl you look after. How do you know she didn't go to see that Marcus fellow you used to talk about back when you were obsessed with the Right Arm." Matias had a wide grin on his face that made Gen want to punch him, but Jorge seemed to be actually considering his proposition.

"What's the Right Arm and who is Marcus?" Minho snapped, moving towards Jorge with the young Aris just behind him.

"The Right Arm are just urban legends, nothing more, nothing less." Jorge muttered unconvincingly. He was a good liar, but not _that _good. He knew something that he didn't want anyone else to know. Something that Matias also knew. "As for Marcus? He's what you call a... is it 'shuck'?" He asked, his sharp gaze moving to Minho and in that moment, he looked exactly like Matias.

"Don't be stupid, _hermano._" Matias cooed, his head snapping around to look to Gen, "What do you think, gorgeous?" He asked.

"About what?" She asked flatly, her hand moving to the blade her kept strapped to her hilt, Matias's eyes watching her as her fingers brushed the hilt, before they flicked back upward to meet her gaze and he pursed his lips. Gripping the hilt, she could feel Nik moving up behind her, ready to pull her back at any moment.

'_It's not worth it.' _Nik told her, his hand finding it's way onto her shoulder.

'_I could end all of this right now. Look at him, he's mocking me. He wants me to make a move. He thinks he can underestimate me.' _She replied, gritting her teeth.

_'Think about this, Matias is a lot more dangerous than anyone else here would know... other than Jorge that is... but, the point is. You know what he is capable of. You also know that as soon as you'd made a first move, Minho'd jump in to save the say. No matter how much he may be an arse right now, the guy still loves you. That kinda love just doesn't go away. Trust me, I know.' _he was thinking about Sonya, the girl who kept him going. The girl that Gen would never stop looking for. Nik belonged with her and she would make sure they were together... eventually. Loosening her grip on the blade and allowing her hand to fall back to her side, Gen took a breath, relaxing her body. She could feel Matias's eyes watching her and as her shoulder relaxed and she set her gaze back onto him, she was surprised to see him flash her a devilish smile, as if to say that she had impressed him before he moved towards her, stopping no more than a few inches from her.

"Be careful with that blade, love. I wouldn't want you to hurt yourself." He said, ducking his head and slowly leaning forward to press his lips against her cheek. It was a dig at Minho, who immediately rushed forward and trying to shake off both Newt and Aris who tried to hold him back,

"Get off of her, slinthead!" Minho cried, causing Matias to turn on his heel and return to his previous position, he had gotten the reaction he had hoped for so, his pathetically fake attempt at affection towards her once again disappeared.

"And, to answer your question, Genevieve. What I want to know is whether you think we should go to see if Marcus has seen our missing children or do we go to the tunnel and hope they're stupid enough to just wait around?" He asked

"What're you asking her for, shuck?" Minho growled, his look of fury seemingly becoming more apparent that ever.

"Don't engage him." Newt warned, moving towards Minho who still had both of his fists clenched. "What do you think the best course of action is for getting Thomas back alive?" Newt asked, looking squarely at Jorge.

"Brenda is smart." Jorge sighed, "But, Marcus is smarter. If they moved towards him, that would only mean trouble." He said.

"Trouble we can handle." Gen said, her gaze still locked with Matias, who smiled in response to her comment.

Newt kept his gaze locked to his feet, everything had changed since the Glade. Hell, since Thomas had disappeared. He hated the sound of this Marcus shank even more than he hated having Matias and Jorge leading the group. Things were far simpler back when there was a clear understanding of who was in charge. According to WICKED that role belonged to Minho, but he and the others all knew, deep down, it was really Thomas who held them together. Who lead them into the darkness. He was also one of Newt's best friends. "Then let's get going to find this shank and our friends." Newt said. He was happy to find that Minho didn't argue with him, instead placing his hands on his hips and looking to Jorge who nodded,

"It's about a half hour walk north. Not too far." He said, a clear annoyance in his tone as he spoke. He was certain the annoyance was merely due to the fact it was Matias who suggested to find Marcus. As the group moved once again as a cohort, Minho shot forward to walk beside Jorge, but, at the same time kept his distance. It was a power play, Minho wanted to be in charge. But, then again Minho didn't always make the best decisions. Shifting his feet, Newt set his gaze back onto Matias, he wanted to have a word with him. Preferably when Gen wasn't around, but as Matias moved towards her, Newt quickly knew that keeping him away from her was going to be difficult. Matias didn't care about her the way he and Minho did. She was a trophy; no, a toy. She was a toy that Matias was dying to sink his teeth into and then throw away once he had gotten bored of her. Newt however, was thankful that Nik had stayed close to her since Matias joined the group. He knew of the man's wrath a lot better than Newt did. Taking a breath, Newt moved towards the three of them, he could hear Matias's mocking words that he just knew were swimming in Gen's head. He was playing with her and Newt wouldn't stand for it.

"Matias, right?" Newt said, causing Gen's head to snap around to look at him, her eyes wide.

"That's right, Newt." Matias replied, his gaze not shifting from Gen as he spoke.

"Can I have a word with you?" He asked. There was no sense in using Minho's tactic to deal with the man. It was quite clear that Matias didn't mind the abuse, in fact, he seemed to find it entertaining. As Matias shifted towards him, Newt was glad that Nik had grabbed Gen's arm, pulling her away from them. The last time he had spoken with Gen, he had to admit that things didn't really go as well as he wanted. But, if he could protect her just once, like Minho did constantly, perhaps he would be able to find it in himself to stop blaming himself for ruining his and Gen's friendship.

"Start talking then, limpy." Matias snapped, his hands in his pockets as he and Newt followed the group. Newt almost scoffed, Matias thought he was intimidating. But, Newt had lived with the likes of Minho, Gally and Alby for three years. He knew this game better than Matias would ever know.

"Gen isn't your bloody play toy and I'll be dammed if I watch you destroy her." Newt said simply, looking towards Gen who had her eyes locked onto them from where Nik was dragged her along by her arm. "You've already got her on edge, isn't that enough?" Following his gaze, Matias shrugged his shoulders, waving to Gen who immediately snapped her head back around to look ahead of her.

"I think you know the answer to that, _Muchacho._" He replied, "Let's look at this scenario properly shall we?" He smiled, clapping his hand onto Newt's shoulder, "You finish this little trial, go back to WICKED. Yes? What do you think is going to happen to our favourite little minx after that?" He asked. The question was rhetorical, but it didn't make Newt any less uncomfortable, "She either lives the rest of her very short life as Peter's little experiment or she comes and lives with me in my big house with all my money and servants and dies at an old age with everything she has ever wanted." He said, "Or, if her attitude continues, she'll maybe die at let's say... a middle age." He shrugged. Just as Newt opened his mouth to speak, Matias spoke once again, "There's only so much a man can take, you know?" He said, "Even you could understand that. How hard it must be watching the girl you love meander along behind that arrogant, pathetic excuse for a man with obvious delusions of being a leader." he laughed. "Must be tough being all in love on your own." He smirked, looking back to Gen. Newt swallowed,

"Why the bloody hell do you even want her anyway?"

"Boredom, nostalgia, etcetera. Mostly to piss off Peter. He has no intention of handing her over to me. Which is why I am here." He answered. Newt was somewhat surprised at Matias's honesty.

"And you think I'm just gonna hand her over?" Newt asked, "To you or WICKED?"

"Of course you won't. You're a love sick puppy." Matias nodded, "But, you don't have the stomach to kill me and killing me is the only way to stop me." Newt was silent, Matias was right in what he was saying, Newt couldn't kill him, no matter how much he wanted to. He wasn't like Minho or Gen. He wasn't as strong as them. "But, in saying that." Matias continued, breaking Newt's train of thought, "I'm not the kind of guy to say, 'Well, if I can't have her, no one can.'. So relax, _muchacho_ and try to enjoy the time you have left with your beloved." Matias said, with a smile before he ran forward to blend in with the others, leaving Newt alone with his thoughts.

**Hey guys, so sorry for the long time it took for me to upload it has been a pretty busy time for me. So, I have tried to incorporate some of the Scorch Trials movie as I did with Lost Within The Walls. Hence why the group is now moving towards Marcus (Loved Alan Tudyk's performance as him BTW). So, hopefully you enjoyed this chapter :)**


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